Yōkai
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Yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. Yōkai are a vast range of beings, including shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, and tricksters. They can be mischievous, helpful
A yōkai print by Kawanabe Kyōsai
Chōchin-oiwa by Katsushika Hokusai
Kidōmaru by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Nekomata from the Hyakkai Zukan by Sawaki Suushi
Oni
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An oni is a kind of yōkai, demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves, deep within mountains, or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have
Yōkai
…supernatural beings were rarely referred to as yōkai. Most of the supernatural entities known as yōkai today were instead called by other names, such as oni or bakemono, during the pre-Meiji era. The reason the word yōkai has become the standard term for supernatural beings in modern Japan used both…
An oni menaces the monk Kūkai, who wards it off by chanting the Buddhist tantras. Painting by Hokusai (1760–1849).
Oni being captured by Shōki, the Demon Queller. 19th Century netsuke. Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm.
Oni, as illustrated in Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Toriyama Sekien.
This oni (ogre) tramples a hapless villain in Beppu, Oita, Oita Prefecture, a famous onsen hot springs resort on the island of Kyushu in Japan.