Gaki, the Cannibal Yokai
The "Hungry Ghost," originally the "Preta," comes from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain texts, although most of the tradition behind it is Chinese in origin, and most modern cultural references are from the Japanese concept, the 'Gaki." A Hungry Ghost is actually pretty simple - if you are a glutton, you will be reincarnated as one of these creatures. The original concept has it as insatiably ravenous but incapable of actually eating, usually with a throat too narrow to swallow. Modern popular culture, of course, just turned it into a spooky cannibal monster. I mean, one of them is even a character in the Samurai Shodown games (But then, Alexander Hamilton is also a character in the Samurai Shodown games, so make of that what you will).
And the most interesting thing about this? The little fellow pictured here has a loop under his feet, and is thus perfectly functional as a cell phone charm. Don't you want one of THOSE hanging from your phone?
Gaki, the Cannibal Yokai
The "Hungry Ghost," originally the "Preta," comes from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain texts, although most of the tradition behind it is Chinese in origin, and most modern cultural references are from the Japanese concept, the 'Gaki." A Hungry Ghost is actually pretty simple - if you are a glutton, you will be reincarnated as one of these creatures. The original concept has it as insatiably ravenous but incapable of actually eating, usually with a throat too narrow to swallow. Modern popular culture, of course, just turned it into a spooky cannibal monster. I mean, one of them is even a character in the Samurai Shodown games (But then, Alexander Hamilton is also a character in the Samurai Shodown games, so make of that what you will).
And the most interesting thing about this? The little fellow pictured here has a loop under his feet, and is thus perfectly functional as a cell phone charm. Don't you want one of THOSE hanging from your phone?