The yokai in tonight's story is only referred to as a henge. Like bakemono from a few days ago, henge is a fairly generic term for a monster and doesn't really reference anything specific. The word comes from the word for "transform," and it is frequently used to refer to monstrous apparitions created by tanuki
Oct 4, 2024 • Subscribe
More like this
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Ōno Dōkan Was Unfazed by Ayashimi
Tonight's story deals with something called ayashimi. I chose not to translate this word, because it is vague even in Japanese. Ayashimi means something strange or mysterious, and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Matsumura Sukenojō Was Taken By a Fuka
Tonight's tale describes a sea monster called a fuka. This strange creature's name is written 海豚魚, or sea-pig-fish. Today these kanji are used for the word iruka, or…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Itagaki Saburō Was Killed by a Henge in Suruga Province
Hello yokai lovers! It's that time of the year again: A-Yokai-A-Day is here! In celebration of Halloween season, every day this October I will post a translation and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How a Madwoman Was Mistaken for a Ghost
Horror stories often use moments of comic relief to break up the tension so things don't get too oppressive. Shokoku hyakumonogatari is no different. There are a few…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How a Woman Was Taken by a Kasha For Using Two Measuring Cups
Tonight's yokai is something called a kasha - meaning "fire chariot." Kasha were giant cats that interrupted funerals and robbed graves of the sinful. The cat connection comes…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Dōchin’s Pride Was Wounded by a Tengu at Kuragari Peak in Kawachi
Today's tale showcases an exceedingly famous kind of yōkai: a tengu. They are one of the "big 3" yōkai of Japanese folklore, along with oni and kappa (and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Farmer in Kumano Whose Wife was Taken by a Henge
Tonight's yōkai is once again referred to by the generic word henge. Essentially it's a shape-shifter, although we don't know what its true form is. However, I find…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Hashii Yasaburō Ferried a Ghost
Tonight's story is one of my favorites in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. Something about the ghost being upside-down is so creepy and visually striking. Not only that, it's part love…
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: How Baba Kurōzu Defeated a Daija
Tonight's yokai is another daija -- a word that covers serpentine creatures all the way from large snakes to dragons. I'm always torn over how to paint these…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Horikoshi From Tōtomi Province Was Infatuated With His Daughter-in-Law
Today is the first day of October, and that marks the start of A-Yokai-A-Day! I hope you'll join me in sharing yokai on social media/blogs/wherever using the #ayokaiaday…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Mankichi Tayū Became a Bakemono’s Master
Tonight's story is wonderfully silly. And the yokai in this story is a rare one! Instead of a tanuki, yūrei, or a daija, as this book is fond…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Killing Turned a Man’s Hair White
Tonight's story may seem a bit weird to Western readers with its focus on "killing." What may seem to some as simple hunting or fishing, whether for fun…
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: 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: 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: How A Wager Led to a Child’s Decapitation
With only three stories left in this year's A-Yokai-A-Day, it's time for me to plug my Patreon again. If you like these stories and illustrations, I do this…
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: How a Tsuchigumo Turned into a Woman in Kaga
Tonight's yōkai is a tsuchigumo: an interesting term with a lot of history. Literally it means "earth spider," and they are depicted in scroll paintings as gigantic monster…
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: How a Man From Gojō, Kyōto Was Punished For Scraping the Gold Foil Off of a Buddha
Tonight's story repeats some common themes — namely, a problem caused by attachment to material wealth, and snakes being used to represent that attachment. This story is interesting…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Rokutan no Genshichi Saved an Adulterous Woman
While yesterday's story was quite Halloween-ish and creepy, today's is a bit more amusing. It still has plenty of creepy elements though. Since Shokoku hyakumonogatari is written as…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Hasegawa Chōzaemon’s Daughter Showed Love to a Crab
Tonight's story talks about a snake who shapeshifts into a man, but this time the Japanese uses the term daija to refer to the snake. This is a…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Sandayū From Chikuzen Province Slept With a Ghost
Tonight's story deals with a yūrei, or a ghost. We've seen a few horrific monsters so far, but, while there is no shortage of terrifying ghost stories, tonight's…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How a Woman’s Obsession Became a Snake in Tōsa Province
Tonight's story deals with a common theme in Shokoku hyakumonogatari: obsession. The Japanese word used in these stories is 執心, and it refers to the kind of improper…
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: How the Obsession in Love Letters Became an Oni
Tonight's story features another oni and another chigo. The chigo here is presented as a sex symbol, the embodiment of the ideal male youth. The oni is born…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Ase 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…
Coming Soon: A-Yokai-A-Day 2023!
Hello readers and yokai lovers! It's been nearly a year since I've posted here, as I've been more active on various social media sites, Patreon, and yokai.com these…
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…
Coming Soon: A-Yokai-A-Day 2024!
Hey everyone! It's the end of the September, and that means Halloween season is almost upon us! Personally I think that all of September should just be called…
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: 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: How Hating a Stepdaughter Backfired in Shimōsa Province
I'm resting my broken arm today to make sure I don't over-stress it, so my wife has kindly taken over for the illustration again. Tonight's story features a…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Okushima Kengyō Climbed the Bureaucracy Thanks to a Mountain God
Tonight's story doesn't feature a yokai, but a yama no kami (mountain spirit/god) instead. Well, that sort of begs the question of what is a yokai vs what…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Genshin of Mt. Hiei Saw Hell and Came Back
🦇 Happy Halloween!!! 🦇 Tonight's is the final story in this year's A-Yokai-A-Day. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed these stories and my paintings (and my…
A-Yokai-A-Day: How Unshō, a Monk from Shima Province, Escaped from a Poisonous Serpent
Tonight's yōkai is another serpent like the one we saw a couple of weeks ago. Contrary to my normal pattern of leaving yōkai names untranslated, I use English…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri Musume (page 2)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. As I explained earlier, I will be presenting Hakoiri musume menya ningyo one page at a time. However, some…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 22)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Today Heiji comes up with a plan to make money (with the mermaid’s help, of course). From the two-page…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 18)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Today’s illustration is another double page spread, showing the street during Uondo’s debut as an oiran. Onlookers peek out…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 14)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Pages 14 and 15 share a double page illustration. The whole spread is posted below. Notice the byōbu in…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 6)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Like yesterday’s page, today’s page is full of absurdities. Kyōden’s hyperbolic metaphors for the depth of love between man…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 21)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Today we start the third and final volume of Hakoiri musume menya ningyo. And the mermaid starts a new…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 20)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. A courtesan’s debut was a very big and costly event. Girls were expected to buy their dresses, beds, etc.…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri Musume (page 3)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Today’s post is page 3 of Hakoiri musume. The illustration on pages 2 and 3 forms a double page…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 13)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Today’s page is very silly, but without a bit of explanation it makes very little sense. Everything that happens…