Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro. Many of Mizuki’s characters are based on the same folktales and classic art that were consulted for this book.
Children raised on this fearsome fare grew into adults that remained fascinated with the creatures. Yokai-like characters appear in several of the novels written by bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami, including the mysterious Sheep Man from A Wild Sheep Chase and the yamikuro (translated as “Infra-Nocturnal Kappa” in the English edition) that infest the Tokyo sewer system in Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. The internationally acclaimed films of director Hayao Miyazaki feature abundant yokai-related imagery—including Spirited Away, The Princess Mononoke, Pom Poko, and even My Neighbor Totoro, the eponymous main character of which could be considered a yokai of sorts. And hundreds—perhaps thousands—of yokai took the stage in director Takashi Miike’s 2005 film Yokai Daisenso (The Great Yokai War). Yokai may not have the hold over the public consciousness that they once enjoyed, but they continue to subtly inform the aesthetic rhythms that pulse beneath the surface of Japanese pop culture.
Learn about yokai and you will understand a critical piece of the puzzle that Japanese culture often presents to outsiders.
That’s where this book comes into play. Yokai Attack! is your one-stop guide to understanding Japan’s traditional creepy-crawlies. Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, nearly always encountered at night, so everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of characteristics they might have. This book represents an attempt to reconcile descriptions from a variety of sources, including but not limited to individual accounts of encounters, Japanese vintage woodblock prints, and microfilms of vintage illustrations stored in the National Diet Library in Tokyo.
All-new illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. In many cases, they’re portrayed in a traditional manner; in others, we decided to have some fun exploring how they might look in more modern settings. Alongside each illustration is a series of “data points,” allowing you to take in key characteristics at a glance. And most importantly, we’ve provided information about how to survive meetings with these strange creatures—handy for any potential close encounters.
A quick word about what this book is not. It is not intended as an authoritative last word on the origins or purported behavior of these creatures. It is a collection of conventional wisdom (perhaps “uncanny wisdom” would be a better term?) concerning the yokai—the sorts of things the average Japanese individual might know about them. Think of it as a springboard for further exploration on your own, and a leg up to understanding the many references and allusions to yokai that appear in modern Japanese films, literature, and even everyday speech.
In traditional Japanese “yokai-ology,” the creatures are classified by where they generally appear. Typical habitats include in and around houses (both functional and abandoned), mountains, forests, Buddhist temples, the banks of lakes or rivers, coastal waters, and such. But to make things easier for the first-time reader who isn’t as intimately familiar with these traditional settings, here we group a small selection of the most famous and visually appealing yokai by personality. Ferocious Fiends are the sorts of creatures you wouldn’t want to encounter in a dark alley (or a bright one, for that matter). Gruesome Gourmets are yokai with peculiar eating habits. Annoying Neighbors are the sorts of things you pray never move in next door. The Sexy and Slimy enchant their prey with slithery svelteness or carnal charms. And The Wimps are just what their name implies: monsters who are probably more afraid of you than you are of them.
So forget Godzilla. Forget the giant beasties karate-chopped into oblivion by endless incarnations of Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and the Power Rangers. Forget the Pocket Monsters. Forget Sadako from The Ring and that creepy all-white kid from The Grudge. Forget everything you know about Japanese tales of terror.
If you want to survive an encounter with a member of Japan’s most fearsome and fascinating bunch of monsters, you’ve got some reading to do.
—Hiroko Yoda & Matt Alt
Tokyo
2012
Ferocious Fiends
Make no bones about it: a run-in with one of this fearsome crew will send you to the hospital if you’re lucky . . . and the grave if you’re not.
Ferocious Fiends: 001
Karasu-tengu
Ferocious Fiends: 001
Karasu-tengu
烏天狗
Pronunciation:
(KAH-rah-soo TEN-goo)
English Name:
Raven-tengu
Gender:
Male/Female
Height:
5 to 6 ft. (150 to 180cm)
Weight:
Unknown
Locomotion:
Bipedal, flight, teleportation
Distinctive Features:
Generally humanoid Bird-like or dog-like face with beak. When clothed, attire is similar to that of a Buddhist monk
Offensive Weapons:
