Typhoon #25 is hovering overhead as I write this. Painting and translating is a nice distraction from the storm. Normally I’m a big fan of stormy weather, but this year has been too much. We’ve had the heaviest snowfall in 36 or so years, one of most dangerously hot summers on record, and the most recent 3 typhoons have been among the strongest to ever hit Japan. This year has been full of terrible floods, earthquakes, and landslides, and just all around bad weather. So it makes me a little nervous to hear the wind roaring and the feel the house shaking violently in the storm. Focusing on yokai is a fun way to take a break from reality.

Gotaimen

Gotaimen
“whole body face”

Gotaimen is a yokai who consists of an oversized human face with stumpy arms and legs protruding from it. He has no body. He also has no clothes, but then again, without a body, there’s nothing to cover up. Overall, he’s got a bit of a crab-like appearance.

Gotaimen comes from the same Matsui Bunko Hyakki yagyo emaki that we’ve been looking at so far. Just like the other yokai on that scroll, there is no indication as to what he does, so his secrets likely died with the artist. Still, that hasn’t stopped yokai researchers from speculating on the meaning of this yokai.

Gotaimen literally means whole body face. “Men” means face, and “gotai” means the five limbs, i.e. the arms, legs, and the head, but in general refers to the whole body. So his name is quite a literal description of the yokai.

It’s been speculated that gotaimen is a yokai similar to nigawarai, who causes people to behave in a certain manner. Because of the way his limbs are oriented, he probably has to sidle back and forth the way a crab walks. “Kani no yokobai” (crab walking) is a Japanese idiom for a person who speaks in a way that avoids the matter at hand, sidestepping the conversation, and changing the subject.

“Taimen” is also a word which describes concern for one’s honor or appearance in front of others. It’s possible that gotaimen is a yokai who causes people to be overly concerned with their appearance or the way they are perceived by their peers.

Another theory is that gotaimen is a yokai who brings out joy in people. In this case, he is more related to haradashi (he resembles haradashi in a way as well). According to this theory, gotaimen haunts the receiving rooms of large manors and palaces belonging to daimyo or aristocrats. When visitors arrive, he makes his appearance, dancing around and causing the guests to laugh. If the visitors don’t laugh at his antics, he begins to cry and rampage all throughout the manor. If he is thrown out of the manor, he’ll just lie down and go to sleep right there.

So there you have it… I’m not sure I find any of those explanations overly convincing, but they are interesting theories! I would like to think of gotaimen as a yokai who finds joy in making others laugh, as there are too few of those; and we could definitely use more spirits like that these days!

Want more yokai? Visit yokai.com and check out my yokai encyclopedias on amazon.com! Still want more? You can sign up for my Patreon project to support my yokai work, get original yokai postcards and prints, and even make requests for which yokai I paint next!

It is day 5 of A-Yokai-A-Day! I hope you’re enjoying the rare and mysterious yokai we’ve been looking at, because I’ve got another one for you today!

To be honest, while I absolutely love the yokai which are strongly connected to folk tales and have many stories associated with them, something about the “random” yokai found in the old picture scrolls excites me even more. They seem to represent the artist’s unbridled creativity, often being based on puns, but just as often based on nothing. Some of these yokai are just pure silliness.

I have to wonder how some of these artists’ patrons reacted upon seeing creatures like a goat with scissors for horns, a geisha’s head on a spider’s body, a deer skeleton with a human skull, and a centipede with human heads sprouting from its body.

No, I didn’t make any of those up!

I imagine the patrons must have reacted the same way I do: with delight. Otherwise these scrolls probably would not have been preserved as they are. But it goes to show that there’s no limit to the world of yokai, the creativity of the artists who invented them, or Japan’s appetite for new and weird monsters.

Now, on to today’s yokai:

Akagashira

Akagashira
“red head”

Akagashira is a yokai which is very accurately named for its flaming crimson coiffure. It’s a glorious wave of straight and curly ginger tresses which poofs out and shouts “I’M HERE!” Once your eyes adjust and you’re able to look away from that fabulous mane, we can also see that he’s got a dull grey body, very sharp teeth and claws, and red markings on his face which could possibly be horns, or stripes, or something…

While the origin of akagashira’s name is no mystery, that’s unfortunately the only thing about him that isn’t. No description was included with his name and portrait, and there’s no folklore which matches his appearance.

There are, in fact, plenty of red-headed yokai. Some of them have very similar names: another unrelated yokai from Kochi Prefecture shares the name akagashira. Aka atama (which also means “red head”) and aka shaguma (“red hair”) are also closely named but different characters. The shojo and shishi are depicted in noh and kabuki with wild, unkempt bright red hair just like the akagashira. Okinawa’s kijimuna also is famous for its red hair. However, despite similar names and features, there is nothing solid to connect akagashira with these other red-heads. It may just have been a doodle that the artist invented, or perhaps it is a formerly known yokai who has been lost to time…

But that’s ok. Yokai are all about mystery, and sometimes half the fun is making up our own guesses as to what their true nature is. You might describe akagashira as a troll doll with what looks to be silicone butt injections, doing something that resembles dabbing—and nobody could tell you that you’re wrong!

To me, he resembles a bright fuzzy caterpillar. Which is why I chose to depict the red marks on his face as dangling eye-stalk-like protuberances rather than horns or just color patterns (also because they look similar to how dangling eyeballs are frequently depicted in other yokai). The sharp teeth and claws kind of remind me of a caterpillar’s mandibles and prolegs. The stripes on his belly and the bulging limb sections also resemble a caterpillar’s puffy body.

Want more yokai? Visit yokai.com and check out my yokai encyclopedias on amazon.com! Still want more? You can sign up for my Patreon project to support my yokai work, get original yokai postcards and prints, and even make requests for which yokai I paint next!

If yesterday’s yokai was a cross between Sloth and Eddie Munster, then today’s is probably the conjoined twin offspring of a Ninja Turtle and a Fraggle. The loose kimono and his hand position also make me think he is taking a break backstage in a vaudeville follies show. He looks like he’d be a fun yokai to hang out with.

For added enjoyment, when you get to the story below, imagine him on stage in full theatrical costume telling you the story himself.

Now, on with the show!

Domo komo

Domokomo

Domokomo is another odd-looking fellow (fellows?) originating in the Matsui Bunko Hyakki yagyo emaki. He/they appear(s) in plenty of other later scrolls as well.

No story or explanation was given when this yokai was written down, however there are a few clues. His name is usually written どうもこうも in hiragana, a phonetic syllabary which doesn’t carry any extrinsic meaning. However, in the older written style of the Edo Period, his name was sometimes written 右も左も, which was still pronounced domokomo but also carries the meaning “right and left.” That makes a lot of sense, considering his two heads.

It still doesn’t tell us anything about who or what this yokai is or does. But there is one more folk tale that might be able to provide us some insight. Domokomo is a word in the local dialects of Ishikawa and Niigata Prefectures. It’s usually seen in the phrase どうもこうもならない (dо̄mokо̄mo naranai), which is kind of like saying “either way you look at it, it’s impossible.” The folk origin of this phrase is this story:

Long ago there were two doctors, Domo and Komo. Together they were the most skilled doctors in Japan, and were equally renowned for their skills.

One day, Domo and Komo decided to have a competition to see which of the two of them was the better surgeon. They agreed to perform surgery on each other to see who did the better job.

First Domo cut off Komo’s arm. Then he reattached it with such expertise that it left no scar at all. Afterwards, Komo cut off Domo’s arm and reattached it. Similarly, there was no mark. Both doctors had performed so excellently that it was impossible to say which one was better.

So they elected to perform a second, more difficult competition. They decided to cut off each other’s heads and reattach them. By this time a large crowd had gathered to see which doctor performed better.

The second competition went much like the first. The first doctor cut off the second’s head and reattached it. Then the second doctor cut off the first’s head and reattached it. Neither was worse for wear, and neither had left even so much as a tiny scar. There was no way to say who was better.

Finally, they decided to cut off their heads simultaneously. The doctors prepared as the crowd watched on. Then, they cut off each other’s head at the same time. Without their heads, neither doctor was able to continue the surgery, and they both died.

The townspeople who had gathered to watch all said “dо̄mokо̄mo naranai,” which translated one way could mean “there’s no way that was going to work” but translated another way could mean “neither Domo nor Komo won.”

rimshot

So maybe that folk etymology was also the origin of this yokai. It’s just a guess, but with the name and the two heads, it’s not a bad guess. Either way, it makes for a fun story!

Want more yokai? Visit yokai.com and check out my yokai encyclopedias on amazon.com! Still want more? You can sign up for my Patreon project to support my yokai work, get original yokai postcards and prints, and even make requests for which yokai I paint next!

Today’s yokai is one we can all relate to. At least I think so. This is pretty much the way I look/feel after binge-eating Halloween candy, or any other fall treats (seasonal beer, donuts, and beef jerky are my eternal vices). And best of all, he’s easy to draw! So give it a try, and don’t forget to hashtag your illustrations #ayokaiaday and #ayokaiaday2018!

Bekataro

Bekataro
also known as: bekuwataro, bekabo, beroritaro, peroritaro, akanbei, bekanko (and other variations)

Bekataro is a unique looking yokai! He looks like a naked little boy with a massive belly and squashed body proportions. (Or maybe the morbidly obese offspring of Sloth and Eddie Munster?) Of course his defining feature is his pose: he sticks his tongue out and pulls both his eyelids down with his fingers. Though you can’t hear it in the painting, he’s almost certainly making a teasing “bleaaaaaaaaaaaa” sound.

Bekataro comes from the same Matsui Bunko scroll as yesterday’s asuko koko does, though he appears in many other places as well. A similar looking yokai appears in another scroll as “akanbei” and he has been copied into other scrolls and books under slightly different name variations.

There’s no story included with the Edo Period paintings that depict bekataro. However, the great Mizuki Shigeru was kind of enough to include (invent?) one for him in his yokai encyclopedias.

Long ago, a boy was born who loved to eat. His name was Taro. He regularly consumed as much as 10, even 20 normal people would eat. He ate so much that his parents could no longer afford to feed him, and so one day they kicked him out to live on the streets.

Baby Taro wandered the streets begging strangers for food, but no matter how much they gave him, it was never enough. He just ate, and ate, and ate. Eventually, he even began to contemplate eating human flesh! Eventually, the townspeople became afraid of Taro and began to run away from him whenever he appeared on the streets.

According to Mizuki, bekataro was also included in Edo Period scrolls used as charms against evil spirits. So, despite the bizarre and perhaps slightly gruesome behavior of this yokai, it apparently has some positive powers as well.

These days, akanbei, perori, and other variations of this yokai’s name are used to describe the facial expression that he is making. If you watch a lot of anime, no doubt at some point you’ve seen a character pull down their eyelids, stick out their tongue, and say “bleaaaaaaaaaaaaa” or something of the like.

Is the gesture named for the yokai? Or is the yokai named for the gesture? I wonder…

Want more yokai? Visit yokai.com and check out my yokai encyclopedias on amazon.com! Still want more? You can sign up for my Patreon project to support my yokai work, get original yokai postcards and prints, and even make requests for which yokai I paint next!

I can’t say it enough: I love October. October is the perfect month! It’s both warm enough and cool enough that you can be comfortable in anything from t-shirt and shorts to a fleece hoodie with a warm blanket wrapped around you. The sun doesn’t bake you the way it does in the summer months, but it’s still bright at noon. The flowers that bloom in October have the best fragrances, the smell of burning leaves and wood stoves fill the air. The changing leaves paint the world in vibrant beautiful colors. Twilight comes earlier and lasts longer, and the days that are dark and overcast have the best moods to them.

That last part is the only part that matters for today’s yokai. Read on!

Asuko koko

Asuko koko
“there and here”

Asuko koko is a yokai which looks like a swirling, gloomy cloud. Within the cloud float all sorts of grotesque faces and claws. (I wonder if they are riding this yokai, or if the heads and arms are actually part of asuko koko…)

Asuko koko comes from the Matsui Bunko Hyakki yagyo emaki. It’s a beautiful and important yokai scroll, with a lot of unique yokai. If you look it up on Wikipedia you’ll probably recognize a number of yokai from yokai.com. Most of the yokai here don’t have back stories or folk talks describing their behaviors, but they do have names which can be illuminating and give us a bit of insight into what they are/do.

While asuko koko may look like just a strange-looking cloud on the surface, there’s something deeper about it that really touches upon the true essence of what yokai means.

• It’s formless, which is something that is often said about yokai, but gets forgotten when we see the clear shapes and forms of various yokai in colorful woodblock prints. But really, yokai are shifting, formless, and ever-changing.
• As a smokey cloud, it’s not quite opaque, but not quite transparent either. Yokai are things that we can kind of see in the shadows, but just can’t make out; just like a cloud of smoke. It’s hard to focus on, impossible to grasp, and it can vanish just when you think you see it.
• And of course if you go into a cloud of smoke, your eyes will sting, you’ll choke—it’s dangerous! If the smoke is toxic you could get quite sick, or it might just be a harmless cloud. Similarly, most yokai are dangerous, but it’s not always quite clear precisely what the threat is.
• However, the part I like best about this yokai is it’s name: asuko koko means “there, here.” In other words: here, there, everywhere. It lurks in the corner, in the shadows, under your bed, just behind you! One of the important things about yokai is that they can be found everywhere, if you know where to look for them.

The vagueness of asuko koko’s form, its faces, and even its name perfectly matches the uncertainty which is the core of what yokai are.

The takeaway? Even if you can’t name it, can’t describe it, or can’t see it… there are monsters nearby. Here, over there, and all around you.

Boo!

Want more yokai? Visit yokai.com and check out my yokai encyclopedias on amazon.com! Still want more? You can sign up for my Patreon project to support my yokai work, get original yokai postcards and prints, and even make requests for which yokai I paint next!

Hello everyone! Today is October 1st, and I am so happy because that means Halloween season is upon us! In the spirit of Halloween, as I do every year, I am painting one yokai every day: A-Yokai-A-Day for the month of October.

Just like other drawing projects (such as Inktober), I’m invite all readers to participate and share their own A-Yokai-A-Day images on social media using the hashtags #ayokaiaday and #ayokaiaday2018

Normally, I like to start A-Yokai-A-Day with some of the weirder or cuter yokai and gradually work towards the bloodier and scarier ones as we approach Halloween. However, you’ll notice that today’s yokai isn’t exactly what you’d call cute. The reason is that this guy comes out on the Autumn equinox, which was just over one week ago today. I wanted to share him early, since the equinox is still close.

So, let’s take a closer look at today’s yokai:

Kubi kajiri

Kubi kajiri
“head biter”

Kubi kajiri is a yokai that is found lurking around in graveyards on the Autumn equinox. As you may guess by his name, he is primarily hunting for heads to eat. They look very similar to typical Japanese ghosts: long, disheveled hair, discolored skin, sunken eyes, and a white burial kimono. Like Japanese ghosts, they have no legs.

When they find a corpse that has been freshly buried, they dig it up and begin eating the head, leaving a mess of blood and gore all over the ground.

The reason they look like ghosts is because they were developed from a painting (by Ippitsusai Bunchō) called “Ghost eating a man’s head.” At some point, the picture was copied and the name kubi kajiri was slapped onto it, and this character was born!

There are two different popular explanations for kubi kajiri’s origin. The first one says that they are created when a person dies and is buried without their head. Their corpse turns into a yōkai and begins to hunt for fresh heads in graveyards.

The other explanation is a little more gruesome. It says that kubi kajiri are created from the corpses of eldery people who have starved to death—particularly those who starved due to negligence and abuse. This is related to the idea of “ubasute” which occurred long ago when food was scarce. During famine, the elderly members of a family might be allowed to starve to death in order to relieve the burden on the younger members. When they were too weak to travel, the elderly might even be piggy-backed into the mountains by their children and left there to die. It’s so sad and cruel that there’s no wonder this is the original story for so many different kinds of yokai. In such cases, the kubi kajiri was only said to appear after their abuser died. Then they would appear beside the grave of their abuser, dig up the corpse, and devour its head.

Justice! (Maybe?)

Want more yokai? Visit yokai.com and check out my yokai encyclopedias on amazon.com! Still want more? You can sign up for my Patreon project to support my yokai work, get original yokai postcards and prints, and even make requests for which yokai I paint next!

It’s been a little while since the last update. August and September have been wildly busy, finishing up with the book and getting it to the printers. But the good news is that if you are a Kickstarter or BackerKit backer, you should have access to your ebook download links now in your BackerKit downloads area!

A-Yokai-A-Day for the Month of October

I would be remiss if I let September pass without mentioning the project that is probably what this blog is most well known for: A-Yokai-A-Day! Keeping with my annual tradition I will be posting one yokai every day for the entire month of October.

A-Yokai-A-Day started in October of 2009, so this year marks nine years of October yokai. In that time all sorts of similar drawing challenges have popped up, including Inktober. In that spirit, I’d like to invite my readers and yokai fans all over the world to join me in A-Yokai-A-Day by painting/sketching/doodling/drawing/photographing a yokai every single day next month!

Hashtag your posts #ayokaiaday and #ayokaiaday2018 and share them on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/wherever!

Last Month’s Yokai

Here are the yokai you may have missed in August and September by not being part of my Patreon project. If you like this site, or yokai in general, and especially if you have a yokai request you’d like to see my paint, join my Patreon project and help support this site and yokai.com!

Taki reio

Yonaki ishi

Mekurabe

Jigoku tayu

Kohada Koheiji

Mumashika

Oi no bakemono