yokai

📅 Updated:2022-08-18

🕒 Created:2018-08-18

🆔 ID:20913

Description

Definition

A Yōkai (妖怪, ghost) is a class of supernatural monsters and spirits that appear in Japanese folklore. The word 'yōkai' is composed of the kanji for "bewitching; attractive; calamity" and "spectre; apparition; mystery; suspicious."Yōkai are also referred to as ayakashi (あやかし), mononoke (物の怪) or mamono (魔物).

Rooted in Japanese animism, they can be considered personifications of animals, objects and even events and other phenomena. The characteristics of yōkai range diversely from malevolent and mischievous entities believed to cause misfortune and harm, to those who are considered to bring good fortune to those who encounter them.