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(whimsical theme music)

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[Female Narrator] Yokai,
the collective name

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for all sorts of bizarre creatures
and supernatural phenomena

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in Japanese folklore.

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From the ancient
past right up to the present,

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Yokai have been very
popular in Japan.

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They feature in video
games, anime, manga,

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and many other contexts.

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Starting in the 18th
century, there was a Yokai boom

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in Japan.

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Many legends about the existence
of Yokai persist around Japan

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to this day.

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Yokai culture with its huge
variety of uncanny creatures,

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offers a unique window
on the Japanese mind.

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(whimsical theme music)

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[Peter Barakan] Hello, and
welcome to Japanology Plus.

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I'm Peter Barakan.

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Today I'm going to be visiting
the International Research Center

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for Japanese Studies in Kyoto
where they do a lot of research

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into Yokai.

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Now, Yokai is a kind of catch-all
term for supernatural beings

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and spooky phenomena
and things that make

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weird noises in the night.

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And they include things like
elves and fairies and leprechauns

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and goblins and...

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In Japan, there are literally
hundreds and hundreds

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of these things.

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And despite the fact that they've
been around for centuries,

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a lot of them still remain popular
in Japanese culture.

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Let's start off by getting
acquainted with a few of them.

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[Female Narrator] In ancient times,
the Japanese imagined that

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inexplicable phenomena
in the natural world

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were the deeds of Yokai.

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Over time, these Yokai were
given names and shapes

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and came to be venerated.

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Among the most famous Yokai
is the Kappa which is said

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to inhabit rivers and swamps.

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A Kappa has a dish on its head
and a shell on its back.

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The ancient Japanese believed
that Kappa dragged people down

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into the water.

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Drownings were often
seen as their work.

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Kappa are also said
to love Sumo wrestling.

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And cucumbers.

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And there are actually legends
of Kappa helping people,

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not just harming them.

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Such contrasting characteristics
are typical of other Yokai too.

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And Yokai are not just creatures
of river and forest.

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Some Yokai come from manmade
objects like this paper lantern.

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Musical instruments
can also be Yokai.

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Here a lute is dragging along
a Koto, or Japanese harp.

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There are even Yokai derived
from the five senses.

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Here's an azuki arai,
or bean washer.

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The babble of flowing water evoke
the sound of beans being washed

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and was given its
own Yokai identity.

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This Yokai embodies the feeling
that someone is following you

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when you're walking down
the street at night.

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Modern Japanese still have an
affinity for the old Yokai legends.

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[Woman 1 English Voiceover]
Yokai can be lovable.

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They're kind of cute.

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[Woman 2 English Voiceover]
I don't think Yokai are bad;

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they are like spirits
that protect Japan.

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[Female Narrator] Yokai, combining
the frightening and the endearing,

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have a firm place in the
Japanese imagination.

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[Peter] Oh, this is pretty cool.
I feel like I've wandered

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into a scene in a movie
or something.

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And over here is the man who's
going to tell us all about Yokai

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today: the head of
this research center,

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Mr. Kazuhiko Komatsu,
who's been studying Yokai

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for some 30 years-odd and
probably knows more about them

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than anybody else.

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Hello, and thank you very much
for being with us today.

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I'm looking forward to this.

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(greeting in Japanese)

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
Thank you for coming.

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In my opinion, Yokai are the kind
of creatures that anyone

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who explores Japanese culture in
depth will eventually encounter.

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You simply can't avoid them.

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[Female Narrator] Today's guest
is Kazuhiko Komatsu,

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Director General of the
International Research Center

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for Japanese Studies.

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He conducts research on Yokai
through the lens of folklore studies.

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He has written more than
100 books about Yokai,

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from academic works to introductory guides

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for the general public.

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Komatsu argues that Yokai have
played a vital role in shaping

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Japanese culture.

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[Peter] When we talk about Yokai
in English, it's useful to have

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some reference points to start
off with: things like fairies

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and elves and goblins.

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What are the big differences
between those and Yokai?

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
Every culture, every ethnic group

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must have something that
corresponds to what Yokai are

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in Japan, but since every culture,
every country is different,

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the Yokai equivalents
also vary widely

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as you might imagine.

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The Japanese are polytheistic;

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they believe in a multitude
of deities.

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This is underpinned by a
religious tradition of animism.

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In animism, all things,
animals, natural phenomena,

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even things that today,
we would not consider alive,

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like rocks and mountains and
rivers, have spirits inhabiting them.

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All these things around
us are sentient.

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They're sentient just like
we human beings are.

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That's the basis of
the belief in Yokai.

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Even this table or the chairs
we're sitting on or a computer.

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Absolutely anything can be a Yokai
if you make it one.

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So one way to think about it
is that everything around us

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is a potential Yokai.

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[Peter] The tradition of animism
obviously goes back, you know,

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many, many hundreds, if
not, thousands of years.

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Do you think it's still quite strong
even in modern Japan?

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
I think that sense is still strong

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even among people who have
never heard of the term 'animism.'

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When they make a mistake
or do something bad,

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they will, without thinking twice,
say something like

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the English expression,
"the Devil made me do it."

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Or someone experiencing
a run of bad luck or failure

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will say that they were being
haunted by an evil spirit.

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Japanese people don't see
themselves as acting

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as autonomous entities.

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Rather, they're always under
the influence of context

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and circumstances.

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So when someone does
something that isn't like them,

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they will blame a Yokai for it.

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Well, it sounds like
shifting the blame,

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but these expressions are useful.

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[Peter] I mean, in the West,
people would be, I think,

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they'd feel ashamed to say
something like that

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because it would be indicative
of them not being in control.

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It's interesting the difference
there culturally.

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[Female Narrator] Around
the 13th century,

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a trend of picture scrolls
featuring Yokai emerged.

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It was about this time that Yokai
inspired by household objects

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appeared probably because
advances in handicrafts

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allowed people to own
more tools and furnishings.

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Komatsu says that medieval
picture-scrolls depicting

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household objects-turned-Yokai
marked a watershed in Japan's

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Yokai culture.

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
This is called the tsukumogami

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picture scroll.

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It tells the story of how,
after long years of use,

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household objects come
to life as Yokai.

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[Peter] Oh, I see.
Okay. There's

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part of the story.

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
Discarded implements

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and furnishings get together.

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They complain about how humans 
have ungratefully tossed

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them away.

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They want a little pay back.

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[Peter] "How dare you throw us out."

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"We're going to have
our revenge on you," yeah.

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
So the Yokai talk that over.

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They build a shinto shrine just like
a shrine humans might have

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and hold a festival to their
own Yokai deities.

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As you can see they're dancing
and praying in front

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of the shrine here.

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Japanese carry deities in portable
shrines at neighborhood festivals

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Here we see the Yokai doing that.

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[Peter] They're having a parade.

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[Komatsu English Voiceover] Yes.
The Yokai are emulating us.

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That's what they're doing.

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Their way of getting back at
humans is to replicate the way

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humans live: their lifestyles.

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They have parties and so on.

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The idea is the humans have
festivals to their deities,

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so we'll do the same.

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The Yokai are basically presenting
a parody of human society.

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[Peter] So the fact that
you had a story like this,

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in this period, probably indicates
that society was becoming more

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affluent, and people were
actually able to throw out things

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when they got a bit old
because they were able

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to buy new ones.

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
In old Japan, when people

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threw something out,
they would take it to a temple

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or a shrine

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and hold a ritual to appease
its spirits and to give thanks.

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People still do that,
but that way of thinking

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was much more prevalent
in the old days.

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The nobility and the wealthy,
though, might have just thrown

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things out carelessly.

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[Peter] So it's a warning
to the readers:

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take good care of your stuff
or it'll have its revenge on you.

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Back in the Heian period,
we're talking about

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over 1,000 years ago now.

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About 1,000 years ago, I suppose.

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People were scared of these
things back in those days.

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But here we are in
the sixteenth century,

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and they actually don't
look very scary.

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Were people still scared of them,
or did they find them more familiar,

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and were they something
they could deal with more easily?

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[Komatsu English Voiceover]
I'd say they were still half scared.

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But once people started
making pictures of Yokai,

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once they stretched their
imaginations to turn these

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shapeless, invisible
entities into pictures,

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they were in a way taking
control of Yokai.

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I think that giving Yokai concrete
form was a way of taming them.

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When you make a
picture of something,

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it somehow becomes less scary.

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And the more people
made pictures of Yokai,

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the more they came to take
pleasure in these creatures

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and this cataloging process.

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[Peter] That makes a lot of sense.

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[Female Narrator]
In the eighteenth century,

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a craze for Yokai swept Japan.

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It was touched off by Toriyama
Sekien's 1776 work,

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The Illustrated Night
Parade of 100 Demons.

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Each page of this visual guide
book depicts one Yokai.

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More than 50 in total.

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The book proved immensely
popular and stirred the imagination

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of other artists.

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Even famous woodblock print
artists created Yokai-themed

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masterpieces which brought Yokai
to the attention of yet more people.

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And this flood of Yokai prints led to
spinoffs like children's card games.

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And here's a board game.

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Toys like these began to
incorporate Yokai motifs.

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Meanwhile, telling spooky stories
became a popular past time.

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People would gather around
to swap stories featuring Yokai.

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Yokai became a source of
entertainment for the public

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at large.

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Ever since then, Yokai have been
a much loved part of Japanese

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culture.

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The average person typically
knows quite a bit of Yokai lore.

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[Male English Voiceover]
The Ittan momen.

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It's sort of a white loin cloth
with arms and legs,

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and it flies.

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You can ride on its back.

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I'd love to try that.

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[Female 1 English Voiceover]
The Rokuro-kubi. That's a Yokai.

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After dark, its neck
stretches like a snake.

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[Female 2 English Voiceover]
The Zashiki-warashi. It's a girl

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with black hair in a bob.

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She lives inside inns and is
supposed to bring good luck

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to people who see her.

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[Female Narrator]
That brings us to Japan's

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latest Yokai craze:

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an entertainment franchise
called Yokai Watch.

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Yokai Watch started as
a video game in 2013.

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It follows the adventures
of a young boy named Keita

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00:14:47,277 --> 00:14:51,000
who obtains a mysterious watch
that enables him to see Yokai.

240
00:14:52,362 --> 00:14:57,660
(arguing in Japanese)

241
00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:02,768
(exclaiming in Japanese)

242
00:15:03,607 --> 00:15:05,956
[Female Narrator] Yokai Watch
spread from the game

243
00:15:05,956 --> 00:15:09,140
to manga, anime, toys, and more.

244
00:15:09,140 --> 00:15:11,972
The franchise's popularity
is massive.

245
00:15:11,972 --> 00:15:14,492
Manufacturers can't keep
up with demand,

246
00:15:14,492 --> 00:15:17,901
and so Yokai Watch
merchandise often sells out.

247
00:15:29,418 --> 00:15:31,799
[Female Narrator] Starting as
a fad centuries back,

248
00:15:31,799 --> 00:15:34,439
Yokai has become deeply
embedded in the popular

249
00:15:34,439 --> 00:15:35,469
imagination.

250
00:15:38,952 --> 00:15:41,432
[Peter] It's interesting
how in the Edo period

251
00:15:41,432 --> 00:15:44,742
you already have this emerging
entertainment industry,

252
00:15:44,742 --> 00:15:46,945
and it's using Yokai to feed it.

253
00:15:47,199 --> 00:15:49,789
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
People in old Japan wanted

254
00:15:49,789 --> 00:15:53,000
to have the Yokai characters
they liked around them,

255
00:15:53,485 --> 00:15:56,157
incorporated into everyday objects.

256
00:15:56,958 --> 00:15:59,720
They put Yokai on folding screens

257
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,482
or sometimes even on a kimono.

258
00:16:03,099 --> 00:16:05,670
Not on the outside, mind you.

259
00:16:05,670 --> 00:16:08,242
In the lining, so it normally

260
00:16:08,242 --> 00:16:09,607
isn't visible.

261
00:16:09,607 --> 00:16:12,795
But in here you might have a
design of a well known Yokai,

262
00:16:12,795 --> 00:16:16,929
and people will catch a glimpse
of the Yokai when the lining shows.

263
00:16:17,450 --> 00:16:21,130
Back then, giving just a flash, 
or a peek of that kind of

264
00:16:21,130 --> 00:16:24,039
unusual design was
considered quite fashionable.

265
00:16:26,158 --> 00:16:28,826
This Yokai is called Tenjo-name.

266
00:16:30,546 --> 00:16:33,630
The name literally means
ceiling-licker.

267
00:16:34,182 --> 00:16:35,637
[Peter]
Licking the ceiling?

268
00:16:35,637 --> 00:16:38,437
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
You know how you'll see stains

269
00:16:38,437 --> 00:16:39,857
on a ceiling sometimes?

270
00:16:41,217 --> 00:16:44,730
The idea was that this Yokai
was to blame for them.

271
00:16:44,730 --> 00:16:46,368
(laughter)

272
00:16:46,368 --> 00:16:48,573
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
It's pretty silly, isn't it?

273
00:16:48,573 --> 00:16:51,389
[Peter] It's kind of a humorous
plus grotesque way of explaining

274
00:16:51,389 --> 00:16:53,869
weird phenomena in daily life.

275
00:16:53,869 --> 00:16:55,559
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
Exactly.

276
00:16:55,962 --> 00:16:57,533
They aren't scary anymore.

277
00:16:58,036 --> 00:17:01,118
By putting a frame around them,
they become predictable.

278
00:17:01,795 --> 00:17:05,876
And by moving them farther away
from their original stories

279
00:17:05,876 --> 00:17:09,716
and decontextualizing them,
Yokai become something

280
00:17:09,716 --> 00:17:11,920
lovable and humorous.

281
00:17:12,918 --> 00:17:14,302
And then...

282
00:17:18,046 --> 00:17:21,206
When they do, the people
don't mind having them

283
00:17:21,206 --> 00:17:22,247
around any more.

284
00:17:22,547 --> 00:17:26,796
(whimsical theme music)

285
00:17:31,305 --> 00:17:32,815
(maniacal laughter)

286
00:17:32,815 --> 00:17:34,275
[Matt Alt] I'm Matt Alt.

287
00:17:34,275 --> 00:17:37,125
And actually, I'm something
of a Yokai aficionado, too.

288
00:17:37,125 --> 00:17:40,584
Now, you might think of Yokai
as imaginary, but actually

289
00:17:40,584 --> 00:17:43,554
there's places in Japan where you
can see what are purported

290
00:17:43,554 --> 00:17:47,398
to be taxidermied and
mummified Yokai specimens.

291
00:17:47,835 --> 00:17:50,665
Today, we're going to check out
a couple of the most famous.

292
00:17:52,391 --> 00:17:55,661
A famous Yokai collector,
an old friend of mine,

293
00:17:55,661 --> 00:17:57,107
lives in this house.

294
00:17:57,107 --> 00:17:58,697
Let's give him a visit.

295
00:17:59,877 --> 00:18:01,101
(knocks on door)

296
00:18:03,344 --> 00:18:05,540
[Kihara English Voiceover]
Hey, Matt!

297
00:18:05,540 --> 00:18:07,294
[Matt] Kihara-san
So good to see you again.

298
00:18:07,294 --> 00:18:09,344
[Kihara English Voiceover]
It's been ages.

299
00:18:09,344 --> 00:18:10,378
Come in.

300
00:18:11,457 --> 00:18:13,470
[Matt] Oh, this is it.

301
00:18:13,470 --> 00:18:15,383
It's been so long since
I've seen this.

302
00:18:15,625 --> 00:18:18,745
[Kihara English Voiceover] Nearly
ten years if I'm not mistaken.

303
00:18:19,299 --> 00:18:21,809
[Matt] This weird Yokai
is called the Kudan,

304
00:18:21,809 --> 00:18:25,391
and, as you can see, it's a
human head on a cow's body.

305
00:18:25,391 --> 00:18:28,931
When these Yokai were born,
they would die almost instantly.

306
00:18:28,931 --> 00:18:31,566
But before they did,
they would speak a prophecy.

307
00:18:31,566 --> 00:18:34,650
Sometimes good,
sometimes bad.

308
00:18:34,650 --> 00:18:36,995
And that's what made them
so popular in the Edo era.

309
00:18:37,375 --> 00:18:39,111
This is amazing.

310
00:18:39,956 --> 00:18:42,956
It was really--
This was really born this way?

311
00:18:42,958 --> 00:18:45,701
[Kihara English Voiceover]
It was born exactly like this.

312
00:18:45,701 --> 00:18:46,461
Look.

313
00:18:49,230 --> 00:18:50,263
It's genuine.

314
00:18:50,764 --> 00:18:54,330
All they did was cut the hide
from the throat to the belly

315
00:18:54,330 --> 00:18:55,835
and the legs.

316
00:18:56,816 --> 00:18:59,394
The head hasn't been
sewn on separately.

317
00:18:59,542 --> 00:19:01,162
[Matt] It does look pretty scary,

318
00:19:01,162 --> 00:19:03,873
but has your life changed
at all getting this?

319
00:19:03,873 --> 00:19:06,592
[Kihara English Voiceover]
Since I acquired the Kudon,

320
00:19:06,592 --> 00:19:09,962
I've been able to write and
publish a lot of books,

321
00:19:09,962 --> 00:19:11,658
and I met lots of different people.

322
00:19:12,566 --> 00:19:16,193
And thanks to the Kudon,
I'm seeing you after so long, Matt.

323
00:19:16,193 --> 00:19:18,915
It's really brought me great luck.

324
00:19:18,915 --> 00:19:21,450
[Matt] We're connected by Yokai.

325
00:19:21,450 --> 00:19:22,632
Thanks for letting me see this.

326
00:19:22,632 --> 00:19:23,815
I really appreciate it.

327
00:19:23,815 --> 00:19:25,563
[Kihara English Voiceover]
Thank you.

328
00:19:25,796 --> 00:19:28,949
[Matt] Next, we've come to
Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood.

329
00:19:28,949 --> 00:19:30,869
This is Sogenji Temple.

330
00:19:30,869 --> 00:19:33,631
Now, temples usually are
associated with a Buddhist deity,

331
00:19:33,631 --> 00:19:35,581
but this temple is special.

332
00:19:35,581 --> 00:19:38,201
They also venerate a certain Yokai.

333
00:19:42,787 --> 00:19:45,547
As you can see the temple
grounds are filled with statues

334
00:19:45,547 --> 00:19:46,457
of Yokai.

335
00:19:46,457 --> 00:19:49,673
These are Kappa, water sprites,
and as you can see,

336
00:19:49,673 --> 00:19:51,947
they have a dish of water
on their heads.

337
00:19:52,691 --> 00:19:55,445
Why is a Buddhist temple
venerating Kappa?

338
00:19:56,101 --> 00:19:59,528
It turns out that in times of old,
this whole area was wracked

339
00:19:59,528 --> 00:20:01,922
by floods during
times of heavy rain.

340
00:20:02,259 --> 00:20:05,967
A wealthy merchant by the name
of Kihachi took it upon himself

341
00:20:05,967 --> 00:20:09,381
to repair the riverbank and
make other improvements

342
00:20:09,381 --> 00:20:10,963
to keep the locals safe.

343
00:20:11,621 --> 00:20:14,561
Legend has it that he enlisted
the help of Kappa

344
00:20:14,561 --> 00:20:17,305
to help him speed along
the improvements.

345
00:20:17,658 --> 00:20:21,288
Sogenji even has
a special Kappa hall

346
00:20:21,288 --> 00:20:25,122
and in it is the mummified hand
of an actual Kappa.

347
00:20:25,717 --> 00:20:28,450
[Priest English Voiceover]
Come in.

348
00:20:28,450 --> 00:20:32,683
[Matt] Oh, wow. And of course,
the sacred images of a Kappa.

349
00:20:32,683 --> 00:20:34,690
[Priest English Voiceover]
That's right.

350
00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,582
[Matt] Oh, and here it is.
The famed Kappa hand.

351
00:20:38,582 --> 00:20:41,244
[Priest English Voiceover]
Yes. This is it.

352
00:20:42,742 --> 00:20:46,846
[Matt] Very strange. Not really
human and not really animal, either.

353
00:20:46,846 --> 00:20:50,158
[Priest English Voiceover] Notice
the webbing between the fingers.

354
00:20:50,724 --> 00:20:55,330
This was found in a box in the
storehouse of a Tokyo industrialist

355
00:20:55,330 --> 00:20:56,886
about 80 years ago.

356
00:20:57,272 --> 00:21:01,342
It was then donated to this temple
where Kappa are venerated.

357
00:21:02,496 --> 00:21:06,460
The Kappa worshiped here
are ones that help people.

358
00:21:06,931 --> 00:21:10,931
They're the Kappa that are
very friendly towards humans.

359
00:21:11,622 --> 00:21:14,524
These Kappa also grant
people's wishes.

360
00:21:15,569 --> 00:21:18,390
Kappa are sacred beings here.

361
00:21:20,311 --> 00:21:24,104
[Matt] Next time you're in Tokyo,
feel free to drop by Kappa Temple.

362
00:21:24,104 --> 00:21:26,917
But just remember, if you want
to see the mummified hand,

363
00:21:26,917 --> 00:21:29,487
you have to make
reservations in advance.

364
00:21:29,909 --> 00:21:32,849
Now, at Buddhist temples,
it's customary to leave an offering

365
00:21:32,849 --> 00:21:34,170
of some small change.

366
00:21:34,170 --> 00:21:36,107
But since we're here
at Kappa Temple

367
00:21:36,107 --> 00:21:39,266
it makes more sense to leave
the Kappa's favorite food.

368
00:21:41,735 --> 00:21:43,820
Thanks for having me.

369
00:21:45,931 --> 00:21:49,384
(whimsical theme music)

370
00:21:50,362 --> 00:21:52,292
[Female Narrator] 
Gegege no Kitaro

371
00:21:52,292 --> 00:21:55,715
is a manga about Yokai that
has been extremely popular

372
00:21:55,715 --> 00:21:58,474
since it first appeared
over 50 years ago.

373
00:22:00,243 --> 00:22:04,687
The hero, Kitaro, a half-Yokai
with a strong sense of justice,

374
00:22:04,687 --> 00:22:07,610
helps humans to tackle evil Yokai.

375
00:22:07,610 --> 00:22:12,184
(Gegege no Kitaro anime intro)

376
00:22:12,184 --> 00:22:13,937
[Female Narrator]
Gegege no Kitaro

377
00:22:13,937 --> 00:22:18,304
was created by the manga artist
and Yokai expert, Shigeru Mizuki.

378
00:22:18,304 --> 00:22:22,573
Today's flourishing Yokai culture
owes a huge debt to this man.

379
00:22:22,573 --> 00:22:26,278
(Gegege no Kitaro anime intro)

380
00:22:26,278 --> 00:22:30,158
[Narrator] Mizuki's hometown
of Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture

381
00:22:30,158 --> 00:22:32,977
enjoys a thriving tourist business.

382
00:22:32,977 --> 00:22:36,870
The statues of characters from
Gegege no Kitaro lining the streets

383
00:22:36,870 --> 00:22:40,040
are a testament to how
widely loved his work is.

384
00:22:42,818 --> 00:22:46,834
Mizuki has drawn over
2,000 Yokai in his career.

385
00:22:46,834 --> 00:22:50,227
Most of them can be traced
to existing Yokai traditions.

386
00:22:55,984 --> 00:23:00,174
For example, this Yokai sneaks up
behind you as you walk down

387
00:23:00,174 --> 00:23:01,676
the road at night.

388
00:23:01,676 --> 00:23:05,456
It's based on a legend
from (unclear).

389
00:23:05,987 --> 00:23:10,777
Here's 250 year-old drawing
of Tenome, the eye in the palm.

390
00:23:11,451 --> 00:23:14,161
Here is Mizuki's version
of the same Yokai.

391
00:23:18,023 --> 00:23:21,683
Sometimes, Mizuki depicts Yokai
living like human beings,

392
00:23:21,683 --> 00:23:24,273
eating in restaurants for example

393
00:23:27,442 --> 00:23:29,532
or playing baseball.

394
00:23:29,532 --> 00:23:33,442
His work made people feel
even closer to Yokai.

395
00:23:39,094 --> 00:23:42,966
Mizuki started drawing Yokai
because of an experience he had

396
00:23:42,966 --> 00:23:44,430
during the Second World War.

397
00:23:47,631 --> 00:23:51,631
He was caught up in ferocious
fighting on an island in the Pacific.

398
00:23:53,177 --> 00:23:56,287
Fortunately, he survived,
but he was forced to flee

399
00:23:56,287 --> 00:23:57,584
into the jungle.

400
00:24:00,268 --> 00:24:02,746
One night, as he walked
in the darkness,

401
00:24:02,746 --> 00:24:05,944
he suddenly found himself
unable to move forward.

402
00:24:08,057 --> 00:24:11,464
He felt as though a Yokai
was standing in his way,

403
00:24:11,464 --> 00:24:13,320
a Yokai like a wall.

404
00:24:15,915 --> 00:24:19,011
So he stopped walking and
laid down for the night.

405
00:24:19,011 --> 00:24:22,441
When he woke up in the morning,
he found that he was just one step

406
00:24:22,441 --> 00:24:24,136
from the edge of a cliff.

407
00:24:24,136 --> 00:24:28,136
Mizuki believed that a Yokai
had saved his life.

408
00:24:57,378 --> 00:25:00,148
[Female Narrator] The diverse
Yokai that Mizuki has drawn

409
00:25:00,148 --> 00:25:03,480
over the years tap into the same
sense of awe and wonder

410
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,240
felt by the people of ancient Japan.

411
00:25:10,694 --> 00:25:13,508
[Peter] A lot of those natural
phenomena, weird phenomena

412
00:25:13,508 --> 00:25:17,092
that would have inspired people
like Mizuki and others as well

413
00:25:17,092 --> 00:25:20,218
of course, now being
explained scientifically,

414
00:25:20,218 --> 00:25:24,308
so does that now get rid of
the need for Yokai?

415
00:25:24,308 --> 00:25:27,478
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
These days, Yokai are no longer

416
00:25:27,478 --> 00:25:30,082
needed to explain the natural world,

417
00:25:30,082 --> 00:25:32,575
the mysteries of natural
phenomena.

418
00:25:33,649 --> 00:25:38,479
We don't have that belief anymore;
however, I believe that Yokai

419
00:25:38,479 --> 00:25:42,708
as a form of entertainment,
as a product of the imagination

420
00:25:42,708 --> 00:25:45,313
have always played
an important role.

421
00:25:46,223 --> 00:25:50,288
We infuse Yokai with a certain
kind of message for humanity,

422
00:25:50,288 --> 00:25:53,338
and we read that
from Yokai stories.

423
00:25:54,102 --> 00:25:56,927
They still matter to
the people of Japan.

424
00:25:57,262 --> 00:26:00,372
[Peter] I suspect there's some kind
of a psychological need

425
00:26:00,372 --> 00:26:02,392
for these sort of fantasy creatures.

426
00:26:02,853 --> 00:26:05,097
And not just in Japan
anymore, either.

427
00:26:05,097 --> 00:26:08,567
Recently, I mean, there's
enormous popularity of things like

428
00:26:08,567 --> 00:26:11,067
Harry Potter for example,

429
00:26:11,067 --> 00:26:14,845
or the Tolkien books.
Lord of the Rings go back

430
00:26:14,845 --> 00:26:15,680
quite a long way,

431
00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,193
but the film version of those
were again enormously popular.

432
00:26:19,193 --> 00:26:22,809
Those do connect quite
well to the world of Yokai,

433
00:26:22,809 --> 00:26:24,954
and, I suspect--

434
00:26:24,954 --> 00:26:28,731
I mean, the period we're
living in now is very materialistic.

435
00:26:28,731 --> 00:26:30,854
It gets to the point
where everything

436
00:26:30,854 --> 00:26:37,645
has to be scientifically provable
for people to admit that it exists at all.

437
00:26:37,645 --> 00:26:41,825
On the other hand, there is
definitely a world which

438
00:26:41,825 --> 00:26:43,237
isn't visible to us.

439
00:26:43,237 --> 00:26:45,212
Whether you believe in it or not...

440
00:26:45,212 --> 00:26:47,712
You know, people have
different opinions, I know,

441
00:26:47,712 --> 00:26:52,705
but somehow to me, things like
the films I've mentioned

442
00:26:52,705 --> 00:26:54,925
plus, I mean, things like Toy Story.

443
00:26:54,925 --> 00:26:58,805
We were talking earlier on about
implements and tools

444
00:26:58,805 --> 00:27:01,165
and things that have been
discarded and then come back

445
00:27:01,165 --> 00:27:03,472
to haunt their previous owner.

446
00:27:03,472 --> 00:27:07,603
And things like Toy Story are
rather a cute version of that

447
00:27:07,603 --> 00:27:09,553
in Western form as well.

448
00:27:09,553 --> 00:27:12,283
So it's interesting how it
all seems to link together.

449
00:27:12,283 --> 00:27:15,100
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
I believe that people really do

450
00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:19,211
have a need for stories
with a rich element of fantasy.

451
00:27:20,091 --> 00:27:22,181
[Peter] We're maintaining a sense-

452
00:27:22,181 --> 00:27:23,392
(cross talking)

453
00:27:23,392 --> 00:27:24,432
[Komatsu Voiceover]
Yes.

454
00:27:24,432 --> 00:27:28,243
I don't think people will ever be
able to completely set that aside.

455
00:27:28,909 --> 00:27:31,619
I think that's just part
of being a human.

456
00:27:32,888 --> 00:27:35,692
[Peter] Thank you very much.
It's been a fascinating day.

457
00:27:36,152 --> 00:27:37,952
[Komatsu English Voiceover]
Thank you.

458
00:27:38,512 --> 00:27:44,256
(whimsical theme music ending)

459
00:27:45,644 --> 00:27:47,929
[Female Narrator] Next time
on Japanology Plus:

460
00:27:47,929 --> 00:27:49,340
the Shinkansen.

461
00:27:49,340 --> 00:27:53,510
For fifty years, it's been the world's
safest, most reliable bullet train.

462
00:27:53,510 --> 00:27:56,344
We explore its history
and its hidden secrets.