About woowsai.com

A quiet library of Japanese kami, yokai, legends and folklore, with a small game that opens each scroll.

What this site is

woowsai.com is an independent editorial project for curious readers, students and teachers who want a careful introduction to Japanese myth and folk belief. It holds 45 scrolls: articles about kami, yokai, ghosts, legendary heroes and Buddhist guardians. Each one says where the earliest record comes from, how the story changed, and what is still practiced today.

Why the lantern game

Reading about a being you have never heard of is easier when you first meet it as a riddle. In the game, five clues point to one being, and you guess the name letter by letter. A win unseals that being's scroll and adds a seal to your album. The game has no timer, no daily limit, no prizes and no ranking. Your progress stays in your own browser.

How we separate religion from story

Many beings on this site are honored today. Others belong to village tales, theater or medieval storybooks. Every scroll carries one label, Religion, Folklore, Legend or Modern retelling, and a short box that keeps living worship, folk tradition and literary work apart.

Who writes it

Scrolls are published under the name of the woowsai.com editorial team. We use AI-assisted tools for research and drafting, and every scroll lists the sources that were opened and read, with the date they were checked. Our editorial policy and methodology explain the process and its limits in detail.

What the site does not do

It shows no advertising, sets no cookies and runs no analytics. It does not sell anything. It is not affiliated with any shrine, temple or museum named in a scroll.

Questions, corrections and suggestions are welcome through the contact page or at contato@woowsai.com.

Last updated November 9, 2026.