Baku

On Saturday, the beautiful blue cloths started coming down.
Baku is the Japanese word for the tapir, according to one website. The Eater of Dreams. It was believed evil dreams were caused by evil spirits, and if the baku devoured an evil dream it might change to good fortune. A peasant waking from an ill slumber could cry, "Devour, O Baku! devour my evil dream." In the second Urusei Yatsura movie, Beautiful Dreamer, Baku is portrayed as a piglet in daily form and companion of Mujaki, a little man dressed as a magician and called the Dream Demon. While Mujaki's job is to create the dreams or desires of individuals and make the a reality, Baku can be summoned at any time to eat the dream and thus take the person back to reality. Baku here is a neutral entity. The baku in Megumi Tachikawa's manga Yume Kui Annai Nin has a cute, animal appearance (a tapir) and is friendly and helpful. In the case of the Baku shown in the first episode of the Vampire Princess Miyu OAV, he lives within dreams and is a dark creature preying on humans.
I saw a Baku yesterday at a temple where no photography was permitted, a strange doglike creature with 9 eyes, 3 on it's forehead and 3 on each side of it's belly. It was attributed to ancient Chinese. When I read about it, I gasped, because my nightmares feel like they have been eaten. I have always been plagued by nightmares, not every week or anything, but every now and then, throughout my life. But since being here, I have had 3, but each one has turned out convivially. I don't want to jinx my luck, but this is a serious improvement, and I am very grateful for it. I like that Baku, and honour whatever has gone on to convert my night horrors into passing pleasing tales.