Kappa (河童 Kappa? "niño de río"), se puede llamar también Kaori (河童 Kaori?), Kawatarō (川太郎 Kawatarō? "chico de río"), Gataro (川太郎 Gataro?), Kawako (川子 Kawako? "niño de río") o Komahiki (“empuja caballos”).Los kappa son criaturas mitológicas y yōkai según el folclore japonés que viven en lagos.

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A kappa (河童, lit. river child), also known as kawatarō (川太郎), komahiki (駒引, lit. horse puller), or kawako (川虎, lit. river tiger), is a yōkai demon or imp found in traditional Japanese folklore. The name is a combination of the words kawa (river) and wappa, a variant form of 童 warawa (also warabe) "child." In Shintō they are considered to be one of many suijin (水神,“water deity”), their yorishiro, or one of their temporary appearances. A hairy kappa is called a hyōsube (ひょうすべ). In Japanese Buddhism they are considered to be a kind of hungry ogres. Therefore, Sha Wujing, who is a character from the Chinese story Journey to the West is described like a kappa in Japan. Kappa are distinguished for having a small pool of water suspended on top of their head, signifying their life force and habitat. There are more than eighty other names associated with the kappa in different regions, including kawappa, gawappa, kōgo, mizushi, mizuchi, enkō, kawaso, suitengu, and dangame. Along with the oni and the tengu, the kappa is among the best-known yōkai in Japan. These various names of the creature vary by region and local folklore, while the term "kappa" remains the name most well known outside of Japan. Kappa have been used to warn children of the dangers lurking in rivers and lakes, as kappa have been often said to try to lure people into water and pull them. Kappa legends are said to be based on the Japanese giant salamander or hanzaki, an aggressive salamander that grabs its prey with its powerful jaws. Other theories suggest they are based on historical sightings of the now extinct Japanese river otter as seen from a distance, otters have been known to stand upright and a drunk, frightened or hallucinating person may think they are seeing a humanoid entity and not a wild animal. The most well known place where it has been claimed Kappa supposedly reside is in the Kappabuchi waters of Tōno in the Iwate Prefecture. The nearby Jōkenji Buddhist temple has dedicated a komainu dog statue to honor the kappa, which according to legend helped save extinguish the temple's fire. The Kappa is also venerated at the Sogenji Buddhist temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo where according to tradition, a mummified arm of a Kappa is enshrined within the chapel hall.

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