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- Tengu. Tengu is a legendary yokai that you’d likely have come across whilst exploring Japan. This popular folklore creature is often printed on arts and crafts and is featured in many cultural performances.
- Oni. Arguably one of the most famous yokai in Japan, the Oni is an ogre who is strong, fearsome, and mischievous. They are known to bring bad luck and disaster with them wherever they go.
- Umi-bozu. This sea creature is usually described as having a huge dark head that just appears out of the water. It’s said that when it appears, it will break through any boat that is nearby and kill its passengers.
- Yurei. Yurei are the most typical-looking ghost creatures within the yokai category. They are often depicted as floating white corpses, dressed in a draping kimono, with long black hair.
- Amabie. Amabie, 2003, Kyoto University.
- Tatsu. Tatsu (Dragon) by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 19th Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
- Kirin. Kirin by Kikuoka Mitsuyuki, 18th Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
- Ningyo. Ningyo (Mermaid) by Tadayoshi, 19th Century, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Oct 13, 2015 · Yokai are a wide category of monsters, ghosts and other supernatural beings of Japanese myth. They are as diverse as Japan's historical imagination and could be fearsome or tame, powerful or weak, villainous or good. Most well known yokai are stock characters who show up in countless old myths.
Some creatures appear in both Chinese and Japanese folklore as yaoguai and yokai, such as the scaly water shuihu (水虎), wilderness demons denoted as chimeiwangliang (魑魅魍魉), and nine-tailed fox demons (九尾狐).
- Kitsune yokai. This multi-tailed fox-like yokai may be benevolent, malicious or just plain mischievous, but what is certain is that it has more than one trick up its sleeve.
- Yurei yokai. This Japanese ghost with the appearance of a corpse dressed in a kimono and long black hair, comes straight from hell. Unable to go to the afterlife, he is stuck in limbo for eternity.
- Oni demon. It's a demon from Japanese mythology that looks like an ogre. This terrifying monster is often depicted with horns and sharp teeth. If it was particularly frightening at the time, it also became a protective spirit of the home in exchange for offerings.
- Tanuki. Among the yokai, animals represent many spirits. The Tanuki is a species of Japanese dog similar to a raccoon. If you meet this magical animal with a very special look, which can change shape at will, it is a harbinger of luck and prosperity.
Oct 21, 2022 · Along with shaping the culture of Japan, these myths have also given us supernatural entities known as yokai (妖怪, ようかい). There are hundreds of yokai in Japan’s mythology, but today we will be looking at 20 of the most popular yokai.
Discover the most popular and famous yokai with this guide to the demons and spirits of Japanese myth. What Are Yokai? Supernatural and mysterious, yokai are legends of Japanese folklore. A connection to the spiritual world, the yokai can be human shaped, beastly animals, and even possessed objects.
