The Greatest Book in the History of Books

Do you know about the Japanese kids' book phenomenon, Kobito Zukan? Literally translated it means something like 'dwarf encyclopedia' or 'gnome encyclopedia', but all of the English translations of kobito aren't really satisfactory because they come with too much baggage. Written and illustrated by Nabata Toshitaka, the conceit is that there live alongside us very many species and subspecies of little people, who have evolved to fulfil particular niches; each book describes some kobito and their habits and behaviour, in the manner of an old-fashioned reference volume about animals or dinosaurs that one would once have found in one's local library. The main commonality between all of the varities of kobito is that each has a tentacle, or tentacles, on their heads, called the touchin, which they use to manipulate objects, put on displays and so on.

Kids love the idea because it is suggestive that there is a hidden world of little people living alongside us and who are often responsible for much of what we experience in our day-to-day lives, whether by putting the nasty mildew smell into a wet towel or making loud thumping noises on the roof during a rainstorm. But adults love it too because it is so wonderfully imaginative and evocative, and often hinting at mysteries waiting to be discovered:

This is the 'ochiakimijika', which has a shape like the leaves of a maple tree and hides among fallen leaves in autumn - the book tells us that nobody knows what they do during the rest of the year.

This is the 'tsukushinbozu', which lives among horsetails. It is unkown what they eat; they spend their time looking for one another and, when they meet, touch their touchins; at night they bury themselves underground and hold hands.

There are lots of kobito that live in fruit and veg. Here are banana and apple varities. It is easy to tell when a banana has a kobito inside because if you leave it for long enough and its gets overripe, you'll be able to see the kobito's face inside. The apple one ('ringoshinkui', or 'apple core eater'), gets inside an apple and eats the core with its strong teeth; an apple which has had a kobito inside is very juicy and said to be the tastiest of all.

Here, at the top, is the 'osamanonioi' ('king smell'), which lives inside dorian fruits and makes them even smellier than they normally are. If there are two inside, it will be smellier yet. At the bottom is the 'mikankitsuke', which lives inside satsumas - if you ever get one which is hard to peel, it could be because there is a kobito inside.

This one, the 'nomihyotan', lives inside gourds - it drinks water with its touchin (which makes it go brown), and during the process of digestion turns this into alcohol, which it later pours out. It is like a 'nectar of the gods' to drink. 

Here are aquatic varities whose various touchins, as you can see, are like lilypads or reeds. The one with the reed-like touchin bobs around in the water and waits for an insect, like a dragonfly, to fly past, and then sucks it in. 

Here are other freshwater dwellers. As you can see, the top one, the 'oohirekamofraodiri' (this is a pun on 'kamo', which is the Japanese word for 'duck', and 'kamofra', which is 'camouflage') disguises itself as a duck; the bottom one is nocturnal and eats crayfish and small fish.

This one, 'erabikoibito' ('koi chooser') lives on the back of a koi carp, eating small insects or whatever the koi itself eats; they quickly change their minds and hop from koi to koi as they see fit.

Here is a diorama of various pond-dwelling kobito. 

This is the 'heiheimaimai', whose favourite food is snails; it has very salty saliva with which it melts the snail before eating it, and then puts the shell on its head. 

Lots of kobito varieties live alongside, and quasi-parasitise, animals. This one comes along and finds a monkey that has just given birth and sneakily masquerades as the baby's twin; even after the baby has grown up and left the mother the kobito remains, still getting looked after by the mother. 

This type. the 'shiboriochichi' lives in fields and sucks milk from the udders of cows. It stores this in its touchin, and the resulting liquid is very nutritious to drink - if babies are given it to drink, they stop crying at night. 

This type, the sakunyudoji, lives on the back of cows, eating insects, but if it can find a shiboriochichi, it catches it and steals its stored milk, catching it in its own touchin. 

Here is the 'kagekakure' (shadow-hider), which - well - hides in people's shadows, walking along behind them. It is a 'very mysterious' kobito.

This type lives beside lamposts and waits to be urinated on by dogs - this is thought to be a way to get nutrients.

Here is a variety that lives inside closets, eating insects and furballs; it is said to also help to prevent mould spreading with the fluid it emits from its body.

There are marine varieties too - this one pretends to be an anemone and sucks down fish with its touchin - even clownfish which are fooled into thinking they'll be safe.

What I've posted here merely scratches the surface. There are hundreds of different types. You can also, if you are so inclined, find out more on YouTube.