The Japanese Yokai Handbook by Masami Kinoshita

An entertaining introduction to Japan's supernatural creatures!

Yokai come in every imaginable shape and form--ranging from frightening ghosts who haunt our dreams and cruel monsters that are deadly killers to cute fairies and mischievous enchanted animals who prank unwitting humans. They can be evil demons, harmless tricksters or prophets of impending doom, depending on their appearance and inclination. But all Yokai are fascinating, and this book profiles 100 of the most interesting ones.

The Yokai presented in this book include:

• Tengu: A powerful Yokai with wings and a large nose who lives in mountains and forests
• Kappa: A deadly Yokai that lives near rivers and drags passersby into the water to drown
• Pero Taro: A grotesque Yokai that looks like blubbering child who hunts and eats greedy children
• Tantan Kororin: A strange spirit with the head of a persimmon that wanders among persimmon trees and is mostly harmless, but terrifying when stumbled upon
• Zashiki-warashi: A ghostly spirit that plays pranks on humans but can also bring good fortune
• Sunekosuri: An annoying Yokai resembling a cute dog that runs between people's legs, not meaning any harm but sometimes causes them to trip and fall
• Baku: A monstrous Yokai with an elephant's head, a bear's body, a rhino's eyes, an ox's tail and a tiger's legs that actually aids humans by devouring their nightmares
• And many more!

Yokai expert Masami Kinoshita has been documenting Yokai in folklore, and in real life, for many years. This book presents her most interesting findings. It has over 175 full-color illustrations that vividly depict the appearances of these weird creatures. No matter their origins, each Yokai has a strange and wonderful story that is sure to amaze you!

Masami Kinoshita is a Yokai researcher based in Japan. After graduating from Nara Women's University she wrote about Yokai on the online newspaper "Nara Monster Times" which reports on supernatural beings and folklore in Nara. She has written stories on a wide variety of Yokai, ranging from Oni and Tengu mountain spirits to Suchinoko, a snake-like creature that was reportedly encountered several times in the 1970s and 1980s.