Folktales
Illustrated yokai folktales
Panel-art retellings from Japanese folklore. Each tale lives on its creature’s page.
20 illustrated stories
Yadōkai
夜道怪
Yokai
In the moonlit hours when shadows danced upon the temple grounds, a lone pilgrim named Kaito sought refuge from the scor...
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Yagyō-san
夜行さん
Yokai
In the depths of winter, when the snowflakes fell gently on the mountain roads, a lone traveler named Kaito ventured out...
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Yakubyō-gami
厄病神
God
In the sleepy village of Katsuragi, nestled between two great mountains, a terrible affliction had taken hold. Crops wit...
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Yama-biko
山彦
Yokai
In the mist-shrouded mountains of Akakawa, where the wind whispers secrets to the trees, there lived a traveler named Ka...
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Yama-bito
山人
Yokai
In the depths of Akakawa valley, where the forest grows dense and the mist lingers, there lived an elderly man named Kai...
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Yama-chichi
山父
Yokai
In the depths of winter, when snowflakes danced in the mountains and shrouded the villages below, Kaito ventured into th...
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Yama-inu
山犬
Yokai
In the depths of Kyūshū's rugged mountains, where cherry blossoms bloomed in secret gardens and mist veiled the peaks, t...
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Yama-oroshi
山颪
Yokai
In the depths of winter's chill, when snowflakes danced and swirled about the mountain villages, there lived an elderly...
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Yama-otoko
山男
Yokai
In the misty mountains of old, where the cedar trees stood sentinel and the wild cherry blossoms bloomed like pink firef...
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Yama-uba
山姥
Spirit
In the depths of Akakawa Valley, where misty dawn veiled the mountainsides, an old woman dwelled. They called her Yama-u...
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Yama-waro
山童
Yokai
In the depths of Akakawa mountain, where cedar trees pierced the sky and waterfalls sang to the wind, there lived a Yama...
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Yamata-no-Orochi
八岐大蛇
Yokai
In days when time was measured by the seasons and darkness dwelled in every shadow, there lived an ancient crone who ten...
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Yanari
家鳴
Yokai
In the sleepy village of Shirakawa, where misty mountains kissed the sky and bamboo forests swayed in the wind, there st...
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Yatagarasu
八咫烏
Yokai
In the depths of autumn, when the rice fields shimmered with golden light and the trees donned their crimson finery, a y...
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Yato-no-kami
夜刀神
Yokai
In days when the sun still wore its crown of glory, a young couple, Kaito and Emiko, fled their war-torn village to find...
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Yomotsu-shikome
黄泉醜女
Yokai
In the depths of Yomi, where the misty veil shrouds all, there dwelled a coven of Yomotsu-shikome. Their twisted forms w...
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Yōsei
妖精
Yokai
In the depths of autumn's haze, when the maples donned their fiery crowns and the air grew crisp with the scent of woods...
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Yosuzume
夜雀
Yokai
In the depths of Kyūshū's mountains, where the wind whispers secrets to the trees, I once encountered the Yosuzume. It w...
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Yuki-onna
雪女
Yokai
In the village of Hakuba, nestled between two great mountains, there lived a young woodsman named Kaito. He was known fo...
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Yukinko
雪ん子
Yokai
In the snow-shrouded village of Akakawa, where the winds howled through the pine trees like a chorus of restless spirits...
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