The Japanese yōkai tradition is a long and venerable one. Yōkai (妖怪) is derived from the Chinese yaoguai; related terms like ayakashi (あやかし), mononoke (物の怪), and mamono (魔物) collectively cover the preternatural of the Japanese mythic and folkloric imagination. They first appear named in the Japanese historical record in 772 CE, in the imperial history Shoku Nihongi, where they are cited as a cause for frequent ritual purifications in the imperial court, though prior to this the Kojiki of Ō no Yasumaro also mentions the oni (鬼), which is later considered a subset of yōkai, alongside creatures of variegated anthropomorphic, theriomorphic, phyllomorphic, natural, and artificial description.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to A Perennial Digression to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.