The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore

Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, & introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful & accessible narrative, readers will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture & will also learn of their abundance & variety through detailed entries, some with original illustrations, on more than fifty individual creatures.

The Book of Yokai provides a lively excursion into Japanese folklore & its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture. It also invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, & collect folklore, & how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader processes of tradition, innovation, storytelling, & individual & communal creativity.