(whimsical theme music)
[Female Narrator] Yokai, the collective name
for all sorts of bizarre creatures and supernatural phenomena
in Japanese folklore.
From the ancient past right up to the present,
Yokai have been very popular in Japan.
They feature in video games, anime, manga,
and many other contexts.
Starting in the 18th century, there was a Yokai boom
in Japan.
Many legends about the existence of Yokai persist around Japan
to this day.
Yokai culture with its huge variety of uncanny creatures,
offers a unique window on the Japanese mind.
(whimsical theme music)
[Peter Barakan] Hello, and welcome to Japanology Plus.
I'm Peter Barakan.
Today I'm going to be visiting the International Research Center
for Japanese Studies in Kyoto where they do a lot of research
into Yokai.
Now, Yokai is a kind of catch-all term for supernatural beings
and spooky phenomena and things that make
weird noises in the night.
And they include things like elves and fairies and leprechauns
and goblins and...
In Japan, there are literally hundreds and hundreds
of these things.
And despite the fact that they've been around for centuries,
a lot of them still remain popular in Japanese culture.
Let's start off by getting acquainted with a few of them.
[Female Narrator] In ancient times, the Japanese imagined that
inexplicable phenomena in the natural world
were the deeds of Yokai.
Over time, these Yokai were given names and shapes
and came to be venerated.
Among the most famous Yokai is the Kappa which is said
to inhabit rivers and swamps.
A Kappa has a dish on its head and a shell on its back.
The ancient Japanese believed that Kappa dragged people down
into the water.
Drownings were often seen as their work.
Kappa are also said to love Sumo wrestling.
And cucumbers.
And there are actually legends of Kappa helping people,
not just harming them.
Such contrasting characteristics are typical of other Yokai too.
And Yokai are not just creatures of river and forest.
Some Yokai come from manmade objects like this paper lantern.
Musical instruments can also be Yokai.
Here a lute is dragging along a Koto, or Japanese harp.
There are even Yokai derived from the five senses.
Here's an azuki arai, or bean washer.
The babble of flowing water evoke the sound of beans being washed
and was given its own Yokai identity.
This Yokai embodies the feeling that someone is following you
when you're walking down the street at night.
Modern Japanese still have an affinity for the old Yokai legends.
[Woman 1 English Voiceover] Yokai can be lovable.
They're kind of cute.
[Woman 2 English Voiceover] I don't think Yokai are bad;
they are like spirits that protect Japan.
[Female Narrator] Yokai, combining the frightening and the endearing,
have a firm place in the Japanese imagination.
[Peter] Oh, this is pretty cool. I feel like I've wandered
into a scene in a movie or something.
And over here is the man who's going to tell us all about Yokai
today: the head of this research center,
Mr. Kazuhiko Komatsu, who's been studying Yokai
for some 30 years-odd and probably knows more about them
than anybody else.
Hello, and thank you very much for being with us today.
I'm looking forward to this.
(greeting in Japanese)
[Komatsu English Voiceover] Thank you for coming.
In my opinion, Yokai are the kind of creatures that anyone
who explores Japanese culture in depth will eventually encounter.
You simply can't avoid them.
[Female Narrator] Today's guest is Kazuhiko Komatsu,
Director General of the International Research Center
for Japanese Studies.
He conducts research on Yokai through the lens of folklore studies.
He has written more than 100 books about Yokai,
from academic works to introductory guides
for the general public.
Komatsu argues that Yokai have played a vital role in shaping
Japanese culture.
[Peter] When we talk about Yokai in English, it's useful to have
some reference points to start off with: things like fairies
and elves and goblins.
What are the big differences between those and Yokai?
[Komatsu English Voiceover] Every culture, every ethnic group
must have something that corresponds to what Yokai are
in Japan, but since every culture, every country is different,
the Yokai equivalents also vary widely
as you might imagine.
The Japanese are polytheistic;
they believe in a multitude of deities.
This is underpinned by a religious tradition of animism.
In animism, all things, animals, natural phenomena,
even things that today, we would not consider alive,
like rocks and mountains and rivers, have spirits inhabiting them.
All these things around us are sentient.
They're sentient just like we human beings are.
That's the basis of the belief in Yokai.
Even this table or the chairs we're sitting on or a computer.
Absolutely anything can be a Yokai if you make it one.
So one way to think about it is that everything around us
is a potential Yokai.
[Peter] The tradition of animism obviously goes back, you know,
many, many hundreds, if not, thousands of years.
Do you think it's still quite strong even in modern Japan?
[Komatsu English Voiceover] I think that sense is still strong
even among people who have never heard of the term 'animism.'
When they make a mistake or do something bad,
they will, without thinking twice, say something like
the English expression, "the Devil made me do it."
Or someone experiencing a run of bad luck or failure
will say that they were being haunted by an evil spirit.
Japanese people don't see themselves as acting
as autonomous entities.
Rather, they're always under the influence of context
and circumstances.
So when someone does something that isn't like them,
they will blame a Yokai for it.
Well, it sounds like shifting the blame,
but these expressions are useful.
[Peter] I mean, in the West, people would be, I think,
they'd feel ashamed to say something like that
because it would be indicative of them not being in control.
It's interesting the difference there culturally.
[Female Narrator] Around the 13th century,
a trend of picture scrolls featuring Yokai emerged.
It was about this time that Yokai inspired by household objects
appeared probably because advances in handicrafts
allowed people to own more tools and furnishings.
Komatsu says that medieval picture-scrolls depicting
household objects-turned-Yokai marked a watershed in Japan's
Yokai culture.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] This is called the tsukumogami
picture scroll.
It tells the story of how, after long years of use,
household objects come to life as Yokai.
[Peter] Oh, I see. Okay. There's
part of the story.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] Discarded implements
and furnishings get together.
They complain about how humans have ungratefully tossed
them away.
They want a little pay back.
[Peter] "How dare you throw us out."
"We're going to have our revenge on you," yeah.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] So the Yokai talk that over.
They build a shinto shrine just like a shrine humans might have
and hold a festival to their own Yokai deities.
As you can see they're dancing and praying in front
of the shrine here.
Japanese carry deities in portable shrines at neighborhood festivals
Here we see the Yokai doing that.
[Peter] They're having a parade.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] Yes. The Yokai are emulating us.
That's what they're doing.
Their way of getting back at humans is to replicate the way
humans live: their lifestyles.
They have parties and so on.
The idea is the humans have festivals to their deities,
so we'll do the same.
The Yokai are basically presenting a parody of human society.
[Peter] So the fact that you had a story like this,
in this period, probably indicates that society was becoming more
affluent, and people were actually able to throw out things
when they got a bit old because they were able
to buy new ones.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] In old Japan, when people
threw something out, they would take it to a temple
or a shrine
and hold a ritual to appease its spirits and to give thanks.
People still do that, but that way of thinking
was much more prevalent in the old days.
The nobility and the wealthy, though, might have just thrown
things out carelessly.
[Peter] So it's a warning to the readers:
take good care of your stuff or it'll have its revenge on you.
Back in the Heian period, we're talking about
over 1,000 years ago now.
About 1,000 years ago, I suppose.
People were scared of these things back in those days.
But here we are in the sixteenth century,
and they actually don't look very scary.
Were people still scared of them, or did they find them more familiar,
and were they something they could deal with more easily?
[Komatsu English Voiceover] I'd say they were still half scared.
But once people started making pictures of Yokai,
once they stretched their imaginations to turn these
shapeless, invisible entities into pictures,
they were in a way taking control of Yokai.
I think that giving Yokai concrete form was a way of taming them.
When you make a picture of something,
it somehow becomes less scary.
And the more people made pictures of Yokai,
the more they came to take pleasure in these creatures
and this cataloging process.
[Peter] That makes a lot of sense.
[Female Narrator] In the eighteenth century,
a craze for Yokai swept Japan.
It was touched off by Toriyama Sekien's 1776 work,
The Illustrated Night Parade of 100 Demons.
Each page of this visual guide book depicts one Yokai.
More than 50 in total.
The book proved immensely popular and stirred the imagination
of other artists.
Even famous woodblock print artists created Yokai-themed
masterpieces which brought Yokai to the attention of yet more people.
And this flood of Yokai prints led to spinoffs like children's card games.
And here's a board game.
Toys like these began to incorporate Yokai motifs.
Meanwhile, telling spooky stories became a popular past time.
People would gather around to swap stories featuring Yokai.
Yokai became a source of entertainment for the public
at large.
Ever since then, Yokai have been a much loved part of Japanese
culture.
The average person typically knows quite a bit of Yokai lore.
[Male English Voiceover] The Ittan momen.
It's sort of a white loin cloth with arms and legs,
and it flies.
You can ride on its back.
I'd love to try that.
[Female 1 English Voiceover] The Rokuro-kubi. That's a Yokai.
After dark, its neck stretches like a snake.
[Female 2 English Voiceover] The Zashiki-warashi. It's a girl
with black hair in a bob.
She lives inside inns and is supposed to bring good luck
to people who see her.
[Female Narrator] That brings us to Japan's
latest Yokai craze:
an entertainment franchise called Yokai Watch.
Yokai Watch started as a video game in 2013.
It follows the adventures of a young boy named Keita
who obtains a mysterious watch that enables him to see Yokai.
(arguing in Japanese)
(exclaiming in Japanese)
[Female Narrator] Yokai Watch spread from the game
to manga, anime, toys, and more.
The franchise's popularity is massive.
Manufacturers can't keep up with demand,
and so Yokai Watch merchandise often sells out.
[Female Narrator] Starting as a fad centuries back,
Yokai has become deeply embedded in the popular
imagination.
[Peter] It's interesting how in the Edo period
you already have this emerging entertainment industry,
and it's using Yokai to feed it.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] People in old Japan wanted
to have the Yokai characters they liked around them,
incorporated into everyday objects.
They put Yokai on folding screens
or sometimes even on a kimono.
Not on the outside, mind you.
In the lining, so it normally
isn't visible.
But in here you might have a design of a well known Yokai,
and people will catch a glimpse of the Yokai when the lining shows.
Back then, giving just a flash, or a peek of that kind of
unusual design was considered quite fashionable.
This Yokai is called Tenjo-name.
The name literally means ceiling-licker.
[Peter] Licking the ceiling?
[Komatsu English Voiceover] You know how you'll see stains
on a ceiling sometimes?
The idea was that this Yokai was to blame for them.
(laughter)
[Komatsu English Voiceover] It's pretty silly, isn't it?
[Peter] It's kind of a humorous plus grotesque way of explaining
weird phenomena in daily life.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] Exactly.
They aren't scary anymore.
By putting a frame around them, they become predictable.
And by moving them farther away from their original stories
and decontextualizing them, Yokai become something
lovable and humorous.
And then...
When they do, the people don't mind having them
around any more.
(whimsical theme music)
(maniacal laughter)
[Matt Alt] I'm Matt Alt.
And actually, I'm something of a Yokai aficionado, too.
Now, you might think of Yokai as imaginary, but actually
there's places in Japan where you can see what are purported
to be taxidermied and mummified Yokai specimens.
Today, we're going to check out a couple of the most famous.
A famous Yokai collector, an old friend of mine,
lives in this house.
Let's give him a visit.
(knocks on door)
[Kihara English Voiceover] Hey, Matt!
[Matt] Kihara-san So good to see you again.
[Kihara English Voiceover] It's been ages.
Come in.
[Matt] Oh, this is it.
It's been so long since I've seen this.
[Kihara English Voiceover] Nearly ten years if I'm not mistaken.
[Matt] This weird Yokai is called the Kudan,
and, as you can see, it's a human head on a cow's body.
When these Yokai were born, they would die almost instantly.
But before they did, they would speak a prophecy.
Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
And that's what made them so popular in the Edo era.
This is amazing.
It was really-- This was really born this way?
[Kihara English Voiceover] It was born exactly like this.
Look.
It's genuine.
All they did was cut the hide from the throat to the belly
and the legs.
The head hasn't been sewn on separately.
[Matt] It does look pretty scary,
but has your life changed at all getting this?
[Kihara English Voiceover] Since I acquired the Kudon,
I've been able to write and publish a lot of books,
and I met lots of different people.
And thanks to the Kudon, I'm seeing you after so long, Matt.
It's really brought me great luck.
[Matt] We're connected by Yokai.
Thanks for letting me see this.
I really appreciate it.
[Kihara English Voiceover] Thank you.
[Matt] Next, we've come to Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood.
This is Sogenji Temple.
Now, temples usually are associated with a Buddhist deity,
but this temple is special.
They also venerate a certain Yokai.
As you can see the temple grounds are filled with statues
of Yokai.
These are Kappa, water sprites, and as you can see,
they have a dish of water on their heads.
Why is a Buddhist temple venerating Kappa?
It turns out that in times of old, this whole area was wracked
by floods during times of heavy rain.
A wealthy merchant by the name of Kihachi took it upon himself
to repair the riverbank and make other improvements
to keep the locals safe.
Legend has it that he enlisted the help of Kappa
to help him speed along the improvements.
Sogenji even has a special Kappa hall
and in it is the mummified hand of an actual Kappa.
[Priest English Voiceover] Come in.
[Matt] Oh, wow. And of course, the sacred images of a Kappa.
[Priest English Voiceover] That's right.
[Matt] Oh, and here it is. The famed Kappa hand.
[Priest English Voiceover] Yes. This is it.
[Matt] Very strange. Not really human and not really animal, either.
[Priest English Voiceover] Notice the webbing between the fingers.
This was found in a box in the storehouse of a Tokyo industrialist
about 80 years ago.
It was then donated to this temple where Kappa are venerated.
The Kappa worshiped here are ones that help people.
They're the Kappa that are very friendly towards humans.
These Kappa also grant people's wishes.
Kappa are sacred beings here.
[Matt] Next time you're in Tokyo, feel free to drop by Kappa Temple.
But just remember, if you want to see the mummified hand,
you have to make reservations in advance.
Now, at Buddhist temples, it's customary to leave an offering
of some small change.
But since we're here at Kappa Temple
it makes more sense to leave the Kappa's favorite food.
Thanks for having me.
(whimsical theme music)
[Female Narrator] Gegege no Kitaro
is a manga about Yokai that has been extremely popular
since it first appeared over 50 years ago.
The hero, Kitaro, a half-Yokai with a strong sense of justice,
helps humans to tackle evil Yokai.
(Gegege no Kitaro anime intro)
[Female Narrator] Gegege no Kitaro
was created by the manga artist and Yokai expert, Shigeru Mizuki.
Today's flourishing Yokai culture owes a huge debt to this man.
(Gegege no Kitaro anime intro)
[Narrator] Mizuki's hometown of Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture
enjoys a thriving tourist business.
The statues of characters from Gegege no Kitaro lining the streets
are a testament to how widely loved his work is.
Mizuki has drawn over 2,000 Yokai in his career.
Most of them can be traced to existing Yokai traditions.
For example, this Yokai sneaks up behind you as you walk down
the road at night.
It's based on a legend from (unclear).
Here's 250 year-old drawing of Tenome, the eye in the palm.
Here is Mizuki's version of the same Yokai.
Sometimes, Mizuki depicts Yokai living like human beings,
eating in restaurants for example
or playing baseball.
His work made people feel even closer to Yokai.
Mizuki started drawing Yokai because of an experience he had
during the Second World War.
He was caught up in ferocious fighting on an island in the Pacific.
Fortunately, he survived, but he was forced to flee
into the jungle.
One night, as he walked in the darkness,
he suddenly found himself unable to move forward.
He felt as though a Yokai was standing in his way,
a Yokai like a wall.
So he stopped walking and laid down for the night.
When he woke up in the morning, he found that he was just one step
from the edge of a cliff.
Mizuki believed that a Yokai had saved his life.
[Female Narrator] The diverse Yokai that Mizuki has drawn
over the years tap into the same sense of awe and wonder
felt by the people of ancient Japan.
[Peter] A lot of those natural phenomena, weird phenomena
that would have inspired people like Mizuki and others as well
of course, now being explained scientifically,
so does that now get rid of the need for Yokai?
[Komatsu English Voiceover] These days, Yokai are no longer
needed to explain the natural world,
the mysteries of natural phenomena.
We don't have that belief anymore; however, I believe that Yokai
as a form of entertainment, as a product of the imagination
have always played an important role.
We infuse Yokai with a certain kind of message for humanity,
and we read that from Yokai stories.
They still matter to the people of Japan.
[Peter] I suspect there's some kind of a psychological need
for these sort of fantasy creatures.
And not just in Japan anymore, either.
Recently, I mean, there's enormous popularity of things like
Harry Potter for example,
or the Tolkien books. Lord of the Rings go back
quite a long way,
but the film version of those were again enormously popular.
Those do connect quite well to the world of Yokai,
and, I suspect--
I mean, the period we're living in now is very materialistic.
It gets to the point where everything
has to be scientifically provable for people to admit that it exists at all.
On the other hand, there is definitely a world which
isn't visible to us.
Whether you believe in it or not...
You know, people have different opinions, I know,
but somehow to me, things like the films I've mentioned
plus, I mean, things like Toy Story.
We were talking earlier on about implements and tools
and things that have been discarded and then come back
to haunt their previous owner.
And things like Toy Story are rather a cute version of that
in Western form as well.
So it's interesting how it all seems to link together.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] I believe that people really do
have a need for stories with a rich element of fantasy.
[Peter] We're maintaining a sense-
(cross talking)
[Komatsu Voiceover] Yes.
I don't think people will ever be able to completely set that aside.
I think that's just part of being a human.
[Peter] Thank you very much. It's been a fascinating day.
[Komatsu English Voiceover] Thank you.
(whimsical theme music ending)
[Female Narrator] Next time on Japanology Plus:
the Shinkansen.
For fifty years, it's been the world's safest, most reliable bullet train.
We explore its history and its hidden secrets.