Japanese yōkai and other supernatural beings: authentic paintings and prints of 100 ghosts, demons, monsters and magicians

Abstract

"Japan's vast pantheon of supernatural beings includes demons (yōkai), ghosts and apparitions (vūrei), ghosts in Kabuki plays, magicians (yōjutsushi), ogres (oni), and vengeful spirits (onryō)--mythical beings from folklore and popular culture which continue today to thrill and delight readers of traditional stories and manga. Structured like an encyclopedia, this book presents a kaleidoscope of a hundred of such beings along with detailed descriptions and iconography. Each creature is pictured with authentic examples drawn from the rich canon of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Japanese prints, books, and paintings sourced from museums, libraries, and private collections worldwide, which provide the ' 'original' traditional forms and appearances of the creatures. Highlights include two painted handscrolls, A Collection of Monsters and Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, from the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which are reproduced here for the first time."-- On front flap of dust jacket.