Anime, Yokai Watch

Recently, anime, Yokai Watch is very popular among Japanese Kids. Software of Nintendo 3DS, “Yokai Watch” was sold in 2013, and the anime has been telecast since 2014. The story is that a boy gets a watch which he can see yokai and makes yokai friends. Yokai medal is given to him when he forms a friendship with yokai, and he can call them anytime. The characters are cute. When toys, yokai watch and yokai medal were put on sale in Japan, they are sold out rapidly. The theme song of Yokai Watch was sung in annual Japanese music show on New Year's Eve, Kohaku in 2014. We can see how this yokai anime is popular in Japan.

In this post, I hope you will learn recent Japanese popular anime. Yokai Watch was nominated for vogue word of the year, 2014. Anime is also Japanese popular culture, so it is related to course themes. American commercial of Nintendo’s Yokai Watch was made and introduced, and it can be said that Yokai watch is globalizing. Furthermore, I think it is interesting that yokai which were scary in ancient period changed the form to cute character today.

Reference: Harding, Xavier. “Yokai Watch 3DS US Release Date: North Americans Will Receive Another Monster-Catcher While They Wait For Pokémon Z.” 2015. 10 Dec 2015.

Yokai and manga: Nurarihyon no Mago (Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan)

Another yokai manga I would like to introduce is Nurarihyon no Mago (means Nurarihyon’s grandson) by Hiroshi Shiibashi. Manga had been serialized from 2008 to 2012 in “Weekly Shonen Jump”. The protagonist is a quarter of Yokai and born in yokai yakuza (Gang) His grandfather is a head of yokai. He lives as a middle-school human boy and refuses to become the third head of the yokai clan, but he gradually accepts his blood of yokai and makes his own allies, not his grandfather’s. There are a lot of yokai in this manga, which are from Gazu hyakki yako, Ehon hyaku monogatari which is yokai picture book in Edo period. Yokai, Nurarihyon is like bald old man. It is seen in many picture books and Emaki (horizontal picture scroll) in the Edo period.

In this post I hope you will learn old illustrated books of yokai and Japanese familiar yokai. It is important to learn the changes of portrayal of yokai in picture as a popular culture. Many yokai which was drawn in Edo period are drawn in manga. For example, Nurarihyon is now drawn as a cool hero.

Yokai, Nurarihyon

Yokai manga: Gegege no Kitaro

There are a lot of manga which Youkai is drawn in the story. Here, I would like to introduce famous youkai manga, Gegege no Kitaro. It is said that the artist, Sigeru Mizuki is the leading on yokai Manga. He is also a researcher of yokai. First, Gegege no Kitaro was serialized as Hakaba Kitaro in “Weekly Shonen Magazine” in 1965. Later Mizuki change the title to Gegege no Kitaro. Anime was made in 1968. Most of the story is that Kitaro fights against evil yokai, and it was popular among children. The word, Yokai came to be famous in those days. Mizuki is influenced by illustrated reference book of yokai, Gazu hyakki yako in the Edo period.　Live-action movies of Gegege no Kitaro were made in 2007 and 2008.

Today manga is Japanese pop culture, and yokai is portrayed in it, so my topic is related to course themes. I hope you will learn the first Japanese Yokai manga. My post is important to know the relation between yokai and Japanese popular culture, and yokai is close to Japanese. The video below is the opening and ending theme of anime, Gegege no Kitaro.

The portrayal of yokai: the Edo period (1603-1867)

In the Edo period, yokai culture developed as an amusement. Illustrated reference book of yokai, Gazu hyakki yako was published, and name and picture of yokai were drawn in each page. This book  influenced on illustrations of horror novels in this period. Visual images of yokai spread people because of this book, and people came to enjoy them. Moreover, many artists portrayed yokai and hyakki yako as a theme on Ukiyo-e (colored woodblock print) and Emaki (horizontal picture scroll). Hyakki yako is a procession of yokai in midnight. Moreover, game board which yokai is drawn was made and popular among children. Furthermore, yokai stories and drama based on folklore of yokai were in vogue.

In this post, I hope you will learn Japanese popular culture in the Edo period. I think the portrayal of yokai in those days is aesthetic and interesting. The Edo period shows a lot of popular culture of yokai, so this post can be help of the understanding of Japanese popular culture.

 

Reference: Sasaki, Takahiro. Kaii no Huukeigaku. Tokyo: Kokonshoin, 2014.

                  Yokai Wonderland. Tezukayama University. 2007. 10 Dec 2015.      

The portrayal of yokai in ancient times

In this post, I would like to state about the origin of yokai. In ancient period in Japan, there is no word, yokai, and there is “mononoke”, which is unidentifiable existence. It is described in literature in the Heian period (794-1185). For example, mononoke is appeared as an apparition of living person in Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji). Furthermore, supernatural existence was recorded in Kojiki which is the oldest book in Japan and was written about Japanese history. Oni (ogres) are also recorded in ancient literature, and the figure is familiar to people in modern Japan. These existences are related to yokai in later ages. Descriptions about yokai increased at the end of the Heian period.

In this post, you will learn yokai in ancient period and the relation between yokai and ancient people in Japan. Japan and yokai have a long history. Learning ancient period and yokai in the period is important to know about Japan and Japanese popular culture because these literatures were Japanese popular culture in those days, and yokai in ancient period is related to that of popular culture in latter ages and today.

Reference: Miyata, Noboru. Yokai no Minzokugaku. Tokyo: Chikumashobo, 2002.

                  Yokai Wonderland. Tezukayama University. 2007. 10 Dec 2015.
                  Kimishiruya Kanokuni. Akikusa Junior College. 2010. 10 Dec 2015.

Yokai and Japanese pop culture

Japanese yokai is different from ghost and monster. It is existence which brings fear to human beings. When strange phenomenon occurred, ancient people in Japan believed it was caused by yokai. They appear in specific place such as house, mountain, and shrine. Sometimes old things used by human for long time and Kami(spirit) who is not believed by people become yokai. 

Yokai was depicted in various old literature, and also drawn as pictures in the old days. Yokai often appears in Japanese history and is related with Japanese popular culture, and yokai is important to learn Japan. The way of drawing of yokai and representation of popular culture has not changed so much since the Edo period. It is because yokai was drawn in old picture book and board game, they were popular culture in those days, and today it is drawn in manga. Many of yokai is familiar to Japanese people. In this blog, I would like to show the portrayal of yokai in the distant past Japan and those in famous manga and anime today.