Yōkai, also known asghost-and-monsters orgod-and-demons or simplyghost-monsters orgod-demons, areundead creatures in old Japanese stories, such asoni,kappa ortengu. They have mysterioussupernatural powers. There are thousands of yōkai. In theEdo period, yōkai were characters in story books. Recently, many new yōkai have been made. There is even a yōkai dictionary. The yōkai areghost/monster ordeity/demon hybrids in Japanese tradition. In the past people believed they causeddisease,accidents andnatural disasters. People were often scared of them.
The most famous yōkai areTengu,Oni (Japanese ogre), andKyubi no Kitsune (a fox with nine tails). When some people and animals are filled with hate, they became yōkai. For example,Sutoku.Sutoku (Japanese ancientemperor) died filled withhate. Then, he became aTengu and caused a disaster. Also, a cat which lived too long time becameNekomata.[1]
Recently, yōkai are familiar with people assubculture in Japan.
In recent decades, the yōkai have been frequently depicted in Japanesefiction and media, particularly inhorror orfantasy-themed works, such as inmanga,anime and films, as well as invideogames, a notable example of this is the mangaGeGeGe no Kitarō, written bymangakaShigeru Mizuki, of which is entirely based on theyōkai myth. Other examples includes the manga seriesDeath Note,Pet Shop of Horrors,Good Luck Girl!,light novelGhost Hunt, the 2011 animated filmA Letter to Momo andRPG videogame franchiseYo-kai Watch.
