1. Introduction

Hello, everyone. We are in our junior year in Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan, and we will introduce Japanese culture through this blog. This blog will follow the theme of “Yokai”. Do you know “Yokai”? This is it!

 

 

 

Yokai are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. They range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or may occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them. Often they possess animal features, other times they can appear mostly human, some look like inanimate objects and others have no discernible shape.  Yokai usually have a spiritual supernatural power. So far there is no actual proof of the existence of Yokai. They originated as mythical tales and superstitions during a time when science could not yet prove common occurrences. The Yokai and accompanying tales perfectly exemplify the Japanese spirit and state of thinking at that time.