Youkai, ghosts and Japanese monsters 妖怪

The other land of ghosts

Yokai, or Japanese ghosts, are supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore. The word youkai can also refer to strange or inexplicable phenomena.

Illustration du manga "Kitaro le repoussant" de Shigeru Mizuki

Illustration from the manga "Kitaro pushing him away" by Shigeru Mizuki

Manga Gegege no Kitaro

 

Do you meet a funny big raccoon statue? He is a tanuki, a spirit of the forest.

Do you see a representation of an animal reminiscent of a turtle? It is a kappa, a being that feeds on cucumber and lives in ponds.

A character with a huge Cyrano-like nose? A tengu is a winged demon ( oni ) particularly terrifying for children. The list is impossible to complete.

Young men must beware of beautiful strangers, they can be kitsune, or vixens, who are setting a trap for them!

An object preserved for more than 100 years will come to life to become a tsukumogami.

In the evening, at a street bend, you might cross paths with the terrifying Kuchisake-onna, a woman with a carnivorous smile.

 

Read: The Setsubun Festival

 

 

 

Statues de Kappa à Oita

Kappa statues in Oita

George Alexander Ishida Newman

Statues de tanuki

Tanuki Statues

Meredith Kahn

Le fantôme lanterne, par Katsushika Hokusai

The Lantern Ghost, by Katsushika Hokusai

Wikimedia Commons

La terrifiante Kuchisake-onna, une femme au sourire carnassier.

The terrifying Kuchisake-onna, a woman with a carnivorous smile.

Manga "Kitaro Repelling Him" by Shigeru Mizuki

Un kappa, étrange créature vivant dans les étangs

A kappa, a strange creature living in ponds

calltheambulance

Latest Articles

L'artisanat traditionnel du Tohoku - les poupées Kokeshi

Traditional Arts & Crafts of Tohoku

Located north of the main island of the Japanese archipelago, the northern part of Honshu known as Tohoku has its own cultural identity and traditions passed down from generations for years.

Summer in Japan: Furin

5 tips for surviving the Japanese summer

With its temperatures reaching 40°C in the sun and its humidity... the Japanese summer can be unbearable when you are confronted with it for the first time.

Torii Gates

Shinto & Shrines

A guide for travellers to Japan on Shintoism and visiting shrines with information sourced from a 17th generation Shinto Priestess. 

See All (368)