Yōkai facts for kids
Yōkai are amazing creatures from old Japanese stories. They are like monsters or ghosts with mysterious, special powers. Some well-known yōkai include oni (ogres), kappa (water spirits), and tengu (bird-like humanoids).
There are thousands of different yōkai! A long time ago, during a period called the Edo period in Japan, yōkai were popular characters in storybooks. Even today, new yōkai are still being created, and there's even a special dictionary just for them. In the past, people sometimes believed yōkai caused bad things like sickness or accidents. This often made people feel scared of them.
Famous Japanese Yōkai
Some of the most famous yōkai are Tengu, Oni (Japanese ogres), and Kyubi no Kitsune (a fox with nine tails). Sometimes, when people or animals feel a lot of hate, they can turn into a yōkai.
For example, Emperor Sutoku was an ancient Japanese emperor. When he died, he was filled with anger. People believed he then became a powerful Tengu and caused many problems. Another example is the Nekomata, which is a cat that has lived for a very long time and gained special powers.
Yōkai in Popular Culture
Today, yōkai are very popular in Japan, especially in movies, books, and games. They are often shown in horror or fantasy stories. You can find yōkai in:
- manga (Japanese comics)
- anime (Japanese animation)
- Films
- Video games
A very famous example is the manga series GeGeGe no Kitarō. It was created by mangaka (comic artist) Shigeru Mizuki and is all about yōkai myths. Other popular stories with yōkai include:
- The manga series Death Note
- Pet Shop of Horrors
- Good Luck Girl!
- The light novel Ghost Hunt
- The animated film A Letter to Momo (from 2011)
- The RPG video game series Yo-kai Watch
Images for kids
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Yamata no Orochi from the Nihon-ryakushi: Susanoo by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
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The Hyakki Yagyo Emaki, author unknown. It comes from the Muromachi period.
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"The Heavy Basket" from the Shinkei Sanjurokkei Sen by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Meiji 25)
