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 definitions of yōkai are not set in stone, and vary from place to place and time to time. The Katawaguruma of Higashinotōin, Kyōto Long ago, there was
Oct 9, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
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…
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 Bōrei of Tsuruga Province
Today I am in Kyoto attending the Mononoke Ichi flea market and hyakki yagyo night parade. It's been 3 years since the last time this event took place…
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: 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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: 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 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 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 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 Komatsu Castle in Ōshū
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…
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: 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…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Samurai’s Shiryō from Sendai
The creature in tonight's story is referred to as a shiryō. This is essentially identical to the term bōrei, which we've seen several times so far this month.…
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: 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 2022 Index: Shokoku hyakumonogatari
Thanks to everyone for reading 2022’s A-Yokai-A-Day selections from Shokoku hyakumonogatari! If you missed a day, or want to go back and read it again, here is an…
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 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 8)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. This is where our story changes timelines. Everything we’ve read so far has merely been backstory—the main character’s origin…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri Musume (page 1)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Hakoiri musume menya ningyo begins with a single-page foreword by the publisher–or so the author would have us believe.…
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 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 1)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Hakoiri musume menya ningyo begins with a single-page foreword by the publisher–or so the author would have us believe.…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 23)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. It looks like Heiji’s plan is beginning to pay off. People are willing to pay dearly for a chance…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 17)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. One of the cool things about these kind of old books is that they have a rudimentary form of…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 24)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. It seems like Heiji’s scheme was a success! So successful, in fact, that is spawned copycat businesses. Today we’ll…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 29)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. If you thought the story couldn’t get any weirder after yesterday’s scene, you might be surprised by today’s page.…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri Musume (page 4)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Pages 4 and 5 of Hakoiri musume are presented with a two-page spread illustration, so I am sharing both…
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 27)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. It seems that Heiji and the mermaid have become rich and successful, but surely you knew the story wouldn’t…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 7)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. If there is anyone left who doesn’t yet think that Urashima Tarō is a jerk for cheating on Otohime…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 25)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Today’s page answers yesterday’s question about whether cheap knock-off mermaid licks are as good as the real thing. Heiji…
A-Yokai-A-Day: Hakoiri musume (page 30)
If you’ve enjoyed this year’s A-Yokai-A-Day, please support me Patreon and get stories like this all year round! Happy Halloween! All good things must come to an end,…
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 26)
If you enjoy A-Yokai-A-Day, please consider joining my Patreon. Wealth and comfort seem to suit our mermaid well. Here she is looking as cool and composed as ever.…