Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings

Japan's vast pantheon of supernatural creatures includes demons (yokai), monsters, ogres (oni), ghosts (yurei) and magicians--mythical beings from folklore and popular culture which continue to thrill readers of traditional stories and manga today.

This richly illustrated book by Andreas Marks, the leading authority on Japanese woodblock prints, presents authentic illustrations and descriptions of 100 different creatures, including:

• Bakeneko: Monster cats in human form who lick lamp oil and prey on humans born in the year of the Rat
• Han'nya: Female demons with sharp and pointed horns, metallic eyes and a smirking smile
• Hihi: Large ape-like monsters who live in the mountains and have superhuman strength, enabling them to kidnap and kill humans
• Mikoshi-nyudo: Yokai with an enormously extended necks who appear only at night
• Nuri-botoke: Buddha-like spirits who are all black, as if lacquered, with their eyeballs dangling out of their sockets in front of them

The visual examples of each Yokai are drawn from the rich canon of early Japanese prints, books, and paintings--sourced from leading museums, libraries and private collections worldwide. They show the original forms and appearances of the creatures which form the basis for all subsequent depictions.

Also included are two long handscrolls from the Minneapolis Institute of Art (A Collection of Monsters and Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) which are reproduced here for the very first time.

Prints and Paintings sourced from the following list of museums, libraries and private collections:
Art Institute of Chicago
Christie's, London & New York
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
Kyoto University, Main Library
Library of Congress
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Minneapolis Institute of Art
National Museum of Japanese History
Princeton University Library
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Smithsonian Libraries