Illustrated yokai folktales

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...

Read the tale →

Raijin

雷神

God

In the village of Akakawa, nestled between two great mountains, there lived a young apprentice blacksmith named Kaito. H...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

Onryō

怨霊

Spirit

In the mist-shrouded village of Akakawa, where cherry blossoms bloomed in the dead of winter, there lived a young weaver...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

Oni

鬼

Yokai

In a village nestled between two great mountains, where cherry blossoms bloomed in pink abundance and autumn leaves rust...

Read the tale →

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....

Read the tale →

Okiku

お菊

Yurei

In the sleepy village of Tsuru no Sato, where cherry blossoms bloomed in silence under the moon's silver glow, there sto...

Read the tale →

Oiwa

お岩

Yokai

In the mist-shrouded mountains above Kiso Village, there lived a woodcutter named Hiroji. He toiled from dawn till dusk,...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

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...

Read the tale →

Nukekubi

抜け首

Yokai

In a small village nestled between two great mountains, there lived a humble rice merchant named Kaito. He was known for...

Read the tale →

Nue

鵺

Yokai

In the depths of autumn, when the moon dipped low in the sky and darkness crept over the villages, the people whispered...

Read the tale →

Nozuchi

野槌

Yokai

In the mist-shrouded mountains of Awa, where the trees twisted and gnarled like withered fingers, there lived an old woo...

Read the tale →

Noppera-bō

のっぺら坊

Yokai

In the village of Akakawa, where the misty mountains met the winding river, there lived an old man named Kaito. He was a...

Read the tale →

Nobusuma

のぶすま

Yokai

In the mountains where the misty veil never lifts, there lived a lone traveler named Kaito. He was on his way to visit t...

Read the tale →