Folktales
Illustrated yokai folktales
Panel-art retellings from Japanese folklore. Each tale lives on its creature’s page.
222 illustrated stories
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Sazae-oni
栄螺鬼
Yokai
In the whispering winds that caressed the shores of Akashi, where sea and sky converged in a perpetual dance, there live...
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Satori
覚
Yokai
In the mountains where the sun dipped into the valleys, there lived an ascetic named Kaito. For years, he had meditated...
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Sarugami
猿神
Yokai
In the mist-shrouded mountains of old, where wild boar roamed free and cedars pierced the sky, there lived a terror beyo...
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Samebito
鮫人
Yokai
In the twilight hour when sea and sky entwined, Samebito waded onto the shore of a forgotten village. His deep green-bla...
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Sakabashira
逆柱
Yokai
In the mist-shrouded hills of old Kaga Province, where the sacred mountains whispered secrets to the wind, there stood a...
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Sa Gojō
沙悟浄
Yokai
In twilight's hush, where mist-shrouded mountains met the waters of old, there dwelled a creature feared by all who sail...
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Sagari
さがり
Yokai
In the depths of Kyūshū's forests, where the moonlight filtering through the trees painted dappled shadows on the ground...
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Rokurokubi
ろくろ首
Yokai
In the misty hills of Akakawa village, where the cherry blossoms bloomed in silence, there lived a young woman named Emi...
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Raijū
雷獣
Yokai
In the depths of summer, when the air hung heavy with the scent of blooming yamabuki and the sun beat down upon the eart...
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Otoroshi
おとろし
Yokai
In the depths of winter, when snowflakes danced around the torii gates of Kiyomizu Temple, a traveler named Kenji made h...
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Onmoraki
陰摩羅鬼
Yokai
In the village of Kakamura, nestled between two great mountains, there stood an ancient temple dedicated to the venerati...
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Onikuma
鬼熊
Yokai
In the depths of Akakawa village, where the mountains pierced the sky and the rivers sang lullabies to the valleys below...
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Onibi
鬼火
Yokai
Deep in the forest, where ancient cedars whispered secrets to one another, there lived an old traveler named Kaito. He h...
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Oni
鬼
Yokai
In a village nestled between two great mountains, where cherry blossoms bloomed in pink abundance and autumn leaves rust...
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Okuri-inu
送り犬
Yokai
In the village of Hakone, nestled between the mist-shrouded peaks of the Fuji range, there lived an old man named Kaito....
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Oiwa
お岩
Yokai
In the mist-shrouded mountains above Kiso Village, there lived a woodcutter named Hiroji. He toiled from dawn till dusk,...
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Ohaguro-bettari
お歯黒べったり
Yokai
In the depths of the moonless night, when the lanterns of the temple district flickered like fireflies, a young samurai...
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Oboro-guruma
朧車
Yokai
In the depths of winter, when snowflakes fell gently upon Kyoto's tiled roofs, a young merchant named Kaito dwelled in h...
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Nyūbachibō
乳鉢坊
Yokai
In a small village nestled between two great mountains, there lived an elderly Buddhist apothecary named Kaito-san. He w...
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Nurikabe
ぬりかべ
Yokai
In the twilight hours, when shadows danced upon the mountain paths, a lone traveler named Kaito made his way through the...
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Nuribotoke
塗仏
Yokai
In the village of Shinmachi, where the misty dawn crept over the thatched roofs, there lived an old man named Kaito. His...
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Nure-onna
濡女
Yokai
In the quiet hours before dawn, when mist veiled the riverbanks and the sea's distant growl was the only sound, a fisher...
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Nurarihyon
ぬらりひょん
Yokai
In the mist-shrouded hills of Okayama, where the air was alive with the whispers of ancestral spirits, there lived a fam...
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Nuppefuhofu
ぬっぺふほふ
Yokai
In the depths of winter's chill, when snowdrifts shrouded the forgotten village of Kakure, a lone traveler stumbled upon...
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