Friberg, Tomas - 3 yokai from japanese folklore - a duo for clarinet and marimba

3 Yōkai - for clarinet and marimba (2015)
Yōkai (妖怪) is a name for a group of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in Japanese folklore. There are many of them and one of the most well-known is Kappa (河童) .
Kappa is a small troll-like creature that dwells in rivers and ponds. Kappa are usually seen as mischievous troublemakers or trickster figures. Their pranks range from the relatively innocent, such as looking up women's kimonos, to the malevolent, such as drowning children. It is well know that their favorite food is the cucumber. Carve your name in a cucumber and throw it in the river is a good way to get Kappa to leave you and your family alone.
If you do meet a Kappa you should bow very politely and because the kappa is very polite, it will bow back. Then the water, which they have in a bowl on their head, will pour out and leave the Kappa incapacitated. Then you run away.
Jorōgumo (絡新婦) means spider woman. The yokai is said to be a spider that would take the form of a beautiful woman and lure men to her hut. While inside, she would lull them to sleep by playing an instrument. Thereafter, she would bind them in a silk cocoon and drink their blood. She is sometimes depicted as a half-spider half-woman. Jorōgumo’s favorite food is young, handsome men who are looking for love.
Yamabiko (山彦) is a very harmless yokai who plays tricks with echoes. Echoes that bounce back with more delay than they should or that come back slightly different from the original sound, then it’s probably a yamabiko playing tricks on you. They are very small, appearing like a cross between a dog and a wild monkey.
Score can be downloaded at tomasfriberg.se and parts upon request.
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