Gallery
akaname
A humanoid creature that appears in untidy bathrooms to lick up dirt with its poisonous saliva.
akashita
A yōkai who appears as a black cloud hanging over a floodgate. It has a hairy face and clawed hands, and a red tongue.
amikiri
One of a group of yōkai in Japanese folklore. It is perceived as a snake-like creature with sharp pincers.
Aobōzu
In Japanese folklore, a one-eyed blue monk who kidnaps children.
bakeneko
Monster cats in Japanese folklore. Cats can become bakeneko when they reach a certain age, size, or weight.
Gagoze
A demon who reputedly attacked young priests at the Gangō-ji temple.
giant
In fairy tales and legends, giants are beings who resemble humans but are much taller and stronger.
giant
In fairy tales and legends, giants are beings who resemble humans but are much taller and stronger.
Hyōsube
A monkey-like creature akin to the kappa. The story goes that Hyōsube was once helped by the poet Sugawara no Michizane.
ikiryō
The manifestation of a living person's soul separately from his or her body.
inugami
A powerful dog deity or spirit, similar to a familiar spirit. It guards its owner, called inugami-mochi, and does his bidding.
jorōgumo
In Japanese folklore, a jorōgumo is a spider that can change its shape into that of a beautiful woman.
kamaitachi
A yōkai, generally perceived as a trio of weasels although it moves so fast no one has ever gotten a good look.
kappa
A malicious water spirit in Japanese folklore. It has the head of a monkey, the body of a tortoise, and the limbs of a frog.
kasha
A cat-like creature which reputedly steals corpses during a funeral.
kawauso
A river otter masquerading as a human being, according to the Gazu Hyakki Yakō.
kelpie
A malicious water spirit in Scottish folklore. It assumes the form of a horse and lures people to their death by drowning them.
kitsunebi
A mysterious, ghostly fire that appears on rivers. It is said to be created by foxes.
Kludde
An evil spirit which played its pranks in the areas of Brabant and Flanders.
kodama
In Japanese folklore, a kodama is a spirit that dwells in certain trees. It is considered bad luck to cut down such trees.
kraken
In Norwegian sea folklore, an enormous sea monster which would occasionally attack ships and devour the sailors.
Kurozuka
A female cannibalistic demon, living in a secluded house in the mountains.
Lambton Worm
The Lambton Worm
makura-gaeshi
A spirit who moves the pillows when people are asleep.
mandrake
The mandrake or mandragora has, in folklore and superstition, always been regarded as a plant with special powers.
mereman
A mythical sea creature with the head or upper body of a man and the tail of a fish instead of legs.
Mikoshi-nyūdō
A yōkai who grows taller when a person looks at him, and the higher a person looks, the taller Mikoshi-nyūdō becomes.
Mister Miacca
A character from an English fairy tale.
Neckan
A spirit of rivers and springs of the German Belgians. They sometimes sang the most beautiful melodies in chorus.
noderabō
A strange creature responsible for ringing the temple bell at night.
nuppeppō
A nuppeppō is an animated lump of decaying human flesh. It appears at midnight near graveyards or ruined temples.
Nurarihyon
A yōkai, a spirit who sneaks into people's homes while they are away to drink their tea, acting as if it is his own house.
nure-onna
A creature that has the long body of a snake and the head of a woman.
nuribotoke
An animated corpse with blackened skin and with dangling eyeballs.
oni
The Japanese generic term for demons or evil spirits.
otoroshi
A hairy creature that sits on top of a torri gate, the entrance to a (Shintō) shrine. It is said to guard the entrance.
otoroshi
A hairy creature that sits on top of a torri gate, the entrance to a (Shintō) shrine. It is said to guard the entrance.
Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
rokurokubi
Spirits who can stretch their necks to great length at night. They resemble ordinary human beings.
sakabashira
A pillar that is installed upside-down, causing the house to become haunted.
sea serpent
A legendary serpent-like sea monster.
shiryō
The spirit of a dead person.
shōkera
A creature that peers through skylights into people's homes.
Sōgenbi
The fiery ghost of an oil-stealing monk, found near Mibudera temple west of Saiin.
taka-onna
A female spirit that is capable of stretching her body.
tanuki
A spirit-creature similar to a mischievous raccoon or badger.
ten
A group of martens which form a pillar that emits some kind of mysterious flame. Mentioned in the Gazu Hyakki Yakō.
ten-gū
In Japanese folk beliefs, bird-like demons.
tenome
A supernatural being with its eyes on its hands, mentioned in the Gazu Hyakki Yakō.
Tesso
According to legend, the priest Raigō Anjari turned into a swarm of rats to lay waste to a rival temple.
tsurube-otoshi
A strange creature that lurks in tree tops and drowns down on unsuspecting travelers.
ubagabi
According to legend, an old woman once stole oil. The gods punished her by pouring oil on her hair and setting it on fire.
ubume
The spirit of a woman who has died in childbirth or died without making sure that her children have been provided for.
Umizatō
A blind man who follows boats by treading on the water. He is mentioned in the Gazu Hyakki Yakō.
unicorn
A mythical animal, depicted as a slender white horse with a spiraled horn growing from its forehead.
unicorn
A mythical animal, depicted as a slender white horse with a spiraled horn growing from its forehead.
ushi-oni
A group of ox-headed monsters. One reputedly lived off the coast of Shimane Prefecture.
uwan
A formless yōkai, a disembodied voice that inhabits abandoned houses and temples. It frightens people who enter such buildings.
vampire
In European folklore, one of the undead who leaves its grave (or coffin) at night to drink the blood of the living.
waira
A Japanese monster, mentioned in the Gazu Hyakki Yakō. It appears as a bull-like creature.
werewolf
In popular folklore, a person who is involuntarily transformed into a wolf under the influence of a full moon.
werewolf
In popular folklore, a person who is involuntarily transformed into a wolf under the influence of a full moon.
yama-biko
A legendary creature or demon said to cause echoes.
yama-uba
A mountain witch, a popular character in Japanese tales. She appears as a hideous old woman with long unkempt golden-white hair.
yama-waro
A hairy, one-eyed creature, possibly of the kappa class. It lives in the mountains.
yanari
Small demons who live underneath the house and which cause the house to rattle and groan.
yuki-onna
A female spirit who appears on snowy nights. She is a beautiful woman with long hair and a pale skin.
yūrei
Ghosts in Japanese folklore.