2. How were Yokai created?

     Yokai first appeared in the Japanese book Kojiki which was published in the year 712. It is thought that Yokai was created when the Japanese culture began to develop. As human beings we tend to be afraid of what we do not understand. At the time when science or other knowledge was in early stages, people could not understand nor do anything to prevent natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, or an epidemic. When the Japanese were faced with those kinds of problems, they created Yokai as a means of explaining such events and could take comfort in that having knowledge. Yokai are not just supernatural monsters, they have a psychological function.