Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (画図百鬼夜行?, "The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons") is the first book of Japanese artist Toriyama Sekien's famous Gazu Hyakki Yagyō e-hon series, published 1776. These books are supernatural bestiaries, collections of ghosts, spirits, spooks and monsters, many of which Toriyama based on literature, folklore, other artwork. These works have had a profound influence on subsequent yōkai imagery in Japan. (Also see: Hyakki Yagyō). The various creatures are described, below, using images to illustrate many of them.
Contents
First Volume "Yin" - 陰
The first volume of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, called "Yin," includes the following demonic creatures.
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Tanuki (狸?) is a raccoon dog which appears frequently in Japanese folkore.
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Kamaitachi (鎌鼬?) is a slicing wind spirit. Sekien was the first to imagine it as a weasel-like creature, as an illustration of a pun.
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SekienAmikiri.jpg
Amikiri (網剪?) is illustrated by Sekien as a small snake-like creature with a bird-like head and lobster-like claws. Its name means "net cutter".
Second Volume "Yang" - 陽
The second volume of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, called "Yang," includes the following creatures.
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Ten, martens which form a column which emits a mysterious flame.
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SekienTsurubebi.jpg
Tsurubebi is a fireball dropping out of a tree. It may be related to the tsurube-otoshi.
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SekienFuraribi.jpg
Furaribi means "aimless flame".
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SekienUbagabi.jpg
Ubagabi. Sekien's comments: It is said to appear in Kawachi Province. (。?) This image shares its name with a real legend from Kyoto.[3]
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SekienKasha.jpg
Kasha is a cat-like monster which steals corpses during a funeral.
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SekienYanari.jpg
Yanari means the rattling sounds of an old house, which these small demons presumably make.
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SekienUbume.jpg
Ubume is the ghost of a pregnant woman who appears holding her child near bodies of water.
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Umizatō is a blind man walking on the surface of the sea.
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SekienNoderabo.jpg
Noderabō is a strange creature standing near a temple bell.
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SekienTenome.jpg
Tenome is a creature with its eyes on its hands.
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SekienTesso.jpg
Tesso. Sekien's comments: Raigō became a spirit-rat, and went into the world. (、也。?) Raigō Anjari was a priest of Mii-dera, who was snubbed by the emperor in favor of Enryaku-ji, and according to legend became a swarm of rats which laid waste to the rival temple.
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Rokurokubi (飛頭蛮?) is a woman who suffers from a supernatural illness, causing her head to float away from her body at night while her neck stretches indefinitely.[7][8]
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Sakabashira.jpg
Sakabashira (ja:逆柱?) is a pillar that has been installed upside down, which causes the house to become haunted.[9][10]
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SekienMakuragaeshi.jpg
Makuragaeshi (反枕?) is a spirit that takes your pillow out from under your head while you sleep and places it by your feet instead.[11][12]
Third Volume "Wind" - 風
The third volume of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, called "Wind," includes the following creatures.
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SekienNuribotoke.jpg
Nuribotoke (ja:塗仏?) An animated corpse with blackened flesh and dangling eyeballs.
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SekienNurarihyon.jpg
Nurarihyon (ぬらりひょん?) A strange character who sneaks into houses on busy evenings
See also
References
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