Yokai
I really love this post at Pink Tentacle about Yokai Daizukai. Yokai are a class of preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore ranging from the evil oni (ogre) to the mischievous kitsune (fox) or snow woman Yuki-onna. Some possess part animal and part human features (e.g. Kappa and Tengu). Y?kai generally have a sort of spiritual or supernatural powers. Yokai that have the ability to shape-shift are called obake. From the 1960s on, manga artist Shigeru Mizuki popularized many types of y?kai in his works (e.g., the titular one-eyed y?kai protagonist in Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro). Lafcadio Hearn’s collection of Japanese ghost stories entitled Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things includes stories of yorei and yokai such as Yuki-onna.
Tags: japanese-folk-monsters, pink tentacle, yokai
