Minamisatsuma

The Yokkabu-i ritual is a rare folkloric example that beautifully blends water god worship with the discipline of children in the Satsuma Peninsula, where Garappa (kappa) legends remain strong. The method of manifesting an extraordinary "god" using eerie masks made of palm bark and everyday tools like the *yogi* conveys the ancient layers of Japan's masked deity and visiting deity faiths. While the continuation of such traditional events is threatened by a declining and aging population, it has functioned as a crucial cultural mechanism to deepen community bonds and pass down both the terrors and blessings of nature to the next generation.