Cultural Article - All About "Yokai"

Introduction

Some dictionaries define 妖怪ようかい ("Yokai") as "a mysterious being or phenomenon beyond everyday experience and understanding". But what exactly... are they? Are they simply the Japanese versions of the same ghouls and ghosts that appear in Western folklore? Read on to find out...

History

The history of Yokai has roots that twist far back into Japanese history. There are mentions of Yokai such as demons (鬼おに) and giant serpents (大蛇おろち) in the "Kojiki" (古事記こじき) as well as the "Nihonshoki" (日本書紀にほんしょき), which are the earliest historical records we have of Japan, dating back as far as 641 CE.

In the medieval era, the appearance of picture scrolls (called 絵巻えまき) featured the first drawn images of Yokai. In the Muromachi period (1336 - 1573 CE), the Otogizoushi (御伽草子おとぎぞうし) (a series of illustrated short stories) was published. A section of the Otogizoushi called the 百鬼夜行ひゃっきやぎょう or "Hyakkiyagyou" heavily featured Yokai in almost innocent, pet-like forms. This is the first instance we see of Yokai as mischievous entities, rather than malevolent ones.