Before we get to today's yokai, I'd like to take a moment to point out that both this website and yokai.com are presented ad-free and paywall-free. That's because I love these stories, and I love having the opportunity to share them with as many people as possible. If you enjoy reading about yokai and Japanese
Oct 2, 2023 • Subscribe
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A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Himeji Castle, Banshū
Tonight's yokai is a famous one that has appeared not only on yokai.com and A-Yokai-A-Day before, but even in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. Although she is not referred to by…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono in the Outhouse
Tonight's story is very short and, if I'm being honest, doesn't translate too well into English. In Japanese, the language is creepy and evocative, but translated into English…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Onoderamura in Sagami Province
The yōkai in tonight's story is unnamed, but it is referred as both a bakemono and a henge. The assumption, then, is that it is probably a shapeshifted…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of the Twin Mounds of Rendaino
Tonight's tale uses us the generic term "bakemono" in the title again. However, within the story the original text uses the word kijin—鬼神 meaning oni goddess—to describe her…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono at Asama Shrine
Tonight's story mentions a Masamune katana and a Yoshimitsu wakizashi. These refer to two legendary swordsmiths from the Kamakura period: Masamune and Awataguchi Yoshimitsu. A sword forged by…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How the Power of Sake Overcame a Bakemono
October has arrived and Spooky Season is upon us! Welcome to another year's season of A-Yokai-A-Day! Every day this month I will translate, illustrate, and post one spooky…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Iga Province During the Keichō Era
Tonight's story is a short and strange collection of happenings that occurred at the house of "a certain samurai" in Iga Province during the Keichō era. Iga was…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Kurita Genpachi Slew a Bakemono
As I mentioned, the Mononoke Ichi yokai market and hyakki yagyo night parade was yesterday in Kyoto. This was the first night parade since the covid pandemic, and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono Who Haunted Matsuura Iyo’s House
This story is about another bakemono. The true form of this yōkai is never explained in the story, so whether it was an animal, or a ghost, or…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ōbōzu Bakemono at Lord Ogasawara’s House
After painting tonight's yokai, I slipped on the stairs and broke my drawing arm... Which is pretty upsetting on top of being painful. It's not a terrible break,…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono Called Shunoban at the Suwa Shrine in Aizu
These days shunoban is commonly known as shunobon. It appears as shunobon on yokai.com and in my book The Fox's Wedding. The reason for the spelling change is…
(My Wife Draws) A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of the Outhouse in Kasamari, Ōmi Province
Tonight's story is a tale that pops up time and time again in almost every prefecture. It's the story of kurote, or the hairy hand that reaches up…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Zatō Who Met a Bakemono on a Journey
Today's story talks about a monster called a bakemono (pronounced bah-keh-mo-no). Like yesterday's henge, this is not a specific monster's name, but a generic term for any monster.…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Denzaemon from Amagasaki Met a Bakemono at a Hot Spring
Today's yōkai is another generic-sounding "bakemono." It may have been a shapechanged kitsune or tanuki, although they often prefer to play tricks rather than outright kill their victims.…
(My Wife Draws) A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono That Lived in the Pond on Lord Mori Mimasaka’s Estate
Well, my elbow has swollen up from the break and it was too painful to paint today. I'll likely be out of commission for another day or two…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Yūrei of the Kirishitans
Tonight's yokai is a yūrei, or simply, a ghost. There are lots of ways to say "ghost" in Japanese. Yūrei literally means "faint spirit," and it is used…
(My Wife Draws) A-Yokai-A-Day: The Man Who Had His Bones Pulled Out by a Bakemono
Today's illustration was once again done by my wife, to give my arm a day's rest while it heals. I'll be back to painting again tomorrow though. Tonight's…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Katawaguruma of Higashinotōin, Kyōto
Tonight's story is about a katawaguruma, although the original illustration found in Shokoku hyakumonogatari more closely resembles a wanyūdō. It just goes to show that the names and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Nekomata of Echigo Province
Animal yōkai are always popular with readers, both abroad and in Japan. I found that with the reaction to my latest book, The Fox's Wedding! Tonight's story is…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Origin of the Surname ‘Nikurube’
Tonight's story is another tale about romance and ghosts, although it's not a horrific one like many that we've seen. Instead, this ghost story sets up an interesting…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Shinshaku
If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Kanshaku
If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Kanmushi
If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Munemushi
If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Three-Way Magic Contest in the Presence of Michinaga
Tonight's story features several famous figures from Japanese history: Fujiwara no Michinaga (966 – 1028), Kanshū (945－1008), Abe no Seimei (921 – 1005), and Tanba no Shigemasa (946－1011).…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Rokurokubi of Fuchū, Echizen Province
The first place that I lived in Japan was Fuchū, Echizen, so this story is very special to me. Although I never encountered any yōkai when I lived…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ghost of Honnōji Shichibyōe’s Wife
One thing I love about the stories in Shokoku hyakumonogatari is that they are so specific about the locations these stories take place. Some of them go right…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Onryō of Abe Sōbei’s Wife
Tonight's story features an onryō, the most terrifying of all Japanese monsters. (Yes, even more terrifying than the toilet stroker!) The fear of ghosts that come back from…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ghost of Shimazu Tōshirō’s Wife
Tonight's story is a classic ghost story. The ghost has all of the standard elements: the white kimono, the disheveled, long hair, blackened teeth; and she visits every…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ao Oni of Kaga Province
Tonight's story is rather brief, but it's rather funny. The idea of all the bravest samurai from the three provinces of Kaga, Etchū, and Noto (comprising all of…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Attachment of Saigō Iyo’s Wife
Tonight's tale takes place in Gōshū, which is another name for Ōmi Province, or what is today Shiga Prefecture. Sawayama is in what is now Hikone City, however…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Jealousy of Shibata Shume’s Wife
Jealousy once again rears its ugly head! It's a very common theme in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. In fact, tonight's story contains quite a few repeated themes that we've seen…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Novice Monk at Eiheiji in Echizen
One thing I love about the stories in Shokoku hyakumonogatari is that they can be so specific about the locations these stories take place. Some of them go…
A-Yokai-A-Day 2020 Lineup
Thanks for reading A-Yokai-A-Day, Pandemic Edition. 2020 has been a rough year, but at least we live in an age where we know more about diseases and cures…
A-Yokai-A-Day 2020 Lineup
Thanks for reading A-Yokai-A-Day, Pandemic Edition. 2020 has been a rough year, but at least we live in an age where we know more about diseases and cures…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri Musume
October is here, and you know what that means. A-Yokai-A-Day is upon us! Every day of the month, in celebration of Halloween, I will be painting and posting…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri Musume
October is here, and you know what that means. A-Yokai-A-Day is upon us! Every day of the month, in celebration of Halloween, I will be painting and posting…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Monk Who Met a Bōrei in Shimotsuke
There are many nuanced ways to describe ghosts in Japanese. The most common words are obake (which means "changed thing"), yūrei ("faint spirit"), and onryō ("grudge spirit"). Tonight's…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Tumors of Heirokuzaemon of Shimōsa Province’s Father
Tonight's story once again deals with the topic of attachment, as in the Buddhist sin of improper attachment to others. And like several stories we've read so far,…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Arrogance of Ukita of Bizen Province’s Widow
Tonight's story describes the workings of one of the most popular yokai there is: a tengu. But first, there's a few cultural terms to talk about in this…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Wife of Matsumotoya Kyūbei of Wakayama, Kishū
Tonight's story is rather short, but it is one of the more disturbing ones in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. The final sentence is an example of a feature I love…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ghost of Kiku, Maidservant of Kumamoto Shuri
Tonight's story features an onryō, the most terrifying of Japanese ghosts. Fans of yokai folklore might even think this story sounds somewhat familiar. There's a clear connection to…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Apparitions in Yoshida Sōtei’s House; or, The Power of Poetry
I'm back from Kyoto's Uzumasa film studio. It was an exhausting event, but really fun! According to the studio, it was the greatest attendance the park has seen…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Painted Corpse Wife of Bungo Province
Well we've made it. Tonight is Halloween, and thus the final A-Yokai-A-Day post for 2022. I hope you've enjoyed these thirty one stories from Shokoku hyakumonogatari. I saved…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Obsession of the Woman from Peony Hall
Tonight's story is a variation on a folktale that is famous all over the world. The Tale of the Peony Lantern has been featured in A-Yokai-A-Day before, and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Attachment of a Goze at an Inn in Mitsuke, Tōtōmi Province
The title of this story refers to a goze. Goze were a female counterpart to zatō, who we looked at earlier this month. The women were traveling entertainers…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Illness of Lord Ikeda Sanzaemon of Harima Province
Tonight's story is based on events that took place in 1611 in one of the most haunted locations in Japan: Himeji Castle. But first, two vocabulary words that…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Mayoinomono That Was Afraid of the Go’ō of Nigatsudō
Tonight's story features a great word that I haven't heard in other stories: mayoimono! This is another word for ghost, and literally means "lost/wandering thing." I love it.…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Shōni no mushi
If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Shōni no mushi
If you’d like to join me and many others in painting a yokai a day this month, all you have to do is paint, draw, or create any…