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A review by abookishpenguin
The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore by Michael Dylan Foster
3.5
The Book of Yokai explores the history and cultural context of a select group of Yokai. The development of the Yokai and their persistence in popular culture today is covered, alongside some of the myths that surround these mysterious creatures.
This was an interesting look at some of the creatures popular in Japanese mythology. Of the ones I had heard of, my exposure was through Studio Ghibli films like Pom Poko and other anime/manga. There were some recognisable creatures, like Tanuki, Kappa and Kitsune, but even more that I did not know of - a personal favourite being Tofu Boy who just sounds great!
What I found really interesting and surprising was that new Yokai are still springing up as recently as the last century, developed sometimes as advertising symbols then passing into the folklore of Japan.
I found the first half of this book quite dry. The author started by describing their research techniques - primarily taking oral accounts, but there was a lot of documentary evidence going back hundreds of years. They then talked about Yokai of different types and the places they occupy, and how to categorise them.
I was hoping for a bigger focus on the stories from folklore featuring the creatures. There were some included in the second half of the book, which was essentially a bestiary, but they were shortened in favour of including more of people's accounts of the Yokai and their documented history.
I also think I suffered a bit in this by not picking up a physical book. I imagine seeing illustrations would have really brought this to life.
Overall I enjoyed this book, and while it wasn't quite what I was looking for, it's definitely encouraged me to seek out more Japanese folklore and introduced me to some creatures I had never heard of.
This was an interesting look at some of the creatures popular in Japanese mythology. Of the ones I had heard of, my exposure was through Studio Ghibli films like Pom Poko and other anime/manga. There were some recognisable creatures, like Tanuki, Kappa and Kitsune, but even more that I did not know of - a personal favourite being Tofu Boy who just sounds great!
What I found really interesting and surprising was that new Yokai are still springing up as recently as the last century, developed sometimes as advertising symbols then passing into the folklore of Japan.
I found the first half of this book quite dry. The author started by describing their research techniques - primarily taking oral accounts, but there was a lot of documentary evidence going back hundreds of years. They then talked about Yokai of different types and the places they occupy, and how to categorise them.
I was hoping for a bigger focus on the stories from folklore featuring the creatures. There were some included in the second half of the book, which was essentially a bestiary, but they were shortened in favour of including more of people's accounts of the Yokai and their documented history.
I also think I suffered a bit in this by not picking up a physical book. I imagine seeing illustrations would have really brought this to life.
Overall I enjoyed this book, and while it wasn't quite what I was looking for, it's definitely encouraged me to seek out more Japanese folklore and introduced me to some creatures I had never heard of.