Nippon army project (Part Five) : Legend of Nippon

Many weird & mysterious characters evolved in the legends of ancient Japan, a country rich in folk tales & myth. Some of these characters were dashing heroes or intelligent animals. Others were evil, semi-supernatural beings like the malicious Oni, or the malignant Goblins! Whether derived from powerful religion like Shinto or Buddhism, or from simple folktales, each of these creatures bares a unique contribution to the Legends of Nippon.

Bakemono Goblins

Though mainly physical creatures, the Bakemono Goblin sometimes possessed spiritual and supernatural power. Smaller Bakemono were often uncouth and unintelligent preferring to fight in large groups (this was before football!). Large, or Dai-Bakemono were usually far more intelligent and equivalent to the Samurai, even having some magical powers.

Dai Oni

Oni are ferocious spirits who use their awesome strength and magical abilities to dominate and terrorize the regions they inhabit. The common oni stands 7 to 8 feet tall, resembling a thickly-muscled humanoid whose arms and legs are covered with coarse hair.

Their skin is normally red, but other colors have been noted, including green, black, orange, purple and Blue.

Yūrei

They are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji,  (yū), meaning "faint" and  (rei), meaning "soul". Alternative names include (Bōrei), meaning ruined or departed spirit or (Shiryō) meaning dead spirit.Like their Chinese and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife. While all Japanese ghosts are called yūrei, within that category there are several specific types of phantom, classified mainly by the manner they died or their reason for returning to Earth.

Tengu

They are considered a type of Shinto god (kami) . Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics.

Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. Tengu are associated with the ascetic practice of Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the garb of its followers, the yamabushi.

Ryu

Dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. Dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it.

Last words

So, many models in this Legend of Nippon part come from the Dixon Miniatures range and to be honest it's pretty rare to find some pictures of them on the web. I bought them without relly knowing how they look but finally the result is good. For peoples who don't know, they are sculpter by Mark Copplestone.

You probably recognize the old C14 Oriental Dragon (Citadel and Ral Partha) very fine sculpt from Tom Meier. And to finish a C18 Undead Samurai  Sculpted by Aly Morrison.