The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai: Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Other Mythical Creatures from Japan (with Over 250 Images)

"A modern day Lafcadio Hearn is picking up his ghostly torch. Zack Davisson is the author, translator, and folklorist following in Hearn's footsteps." --tofugu.com

Mysterious demons, ghosts and monsters have haunted Japan for centuries! A Field Guide to Japanese Yokai presents 100 of the strangest creatures you have ever seen--from evil demons and terrifying monsters to mythical ghosts and enchanted beasts.

In this book, Yokai expert Zack Davisson explains how Yokai are highly elusive, and yet without understanding them you will never truly know Japan. The Yokai profiled in this book include:

• Amabie: A mysterious half fish, half bird creature said to heal any affliction merely by gazing upon its image
• Tofu Kozo: A harmless Yokai that looks like a young child dressed in a fancy kimono and straw hat carrying a plate of wobbly tofu
• Kyokotsu: The pitiful spirit of a person who was thrown down a well; it has pale skin and a shock of white hair growing from a bleached-white skull
• Akaname: Disgusting Yokai who skitter about homes licking the scum from filthy bathtubs
• Kanibozu: Massive crabs, able to shapeshift into human form, disguising itself as a monk and asking riddles, but killing anyone who fails to answer correctly!
• And many more!

Packed with interesting facts and entertaining stories, this book is richly illustrated with over 250 woodblock prints and modern illustrations that reveal the fascinating world of the Yokai.