Mythical creatures of Japan

Inga Ivanova’s book “Mythical Creatures of Japan” is the bestiary of Japanese evil from a to me, the Encyclopedia of Japanese demons, ghosts, werewolves and monsters illustrated by the engraving of Ukiyo-e.

Japanese mythology is a unique worldview system. This is not a similar world inhabited by supernatural creatures: demons, werewolves, ghosts, revived objects and animated natural phenomena. The ancient traditions of the country made Japanese monsters completely dissimilar to their Western colleagues. The book is dedicated to the supernatural creatures of Japan: Oaka and Bakemono, Yokai, Mononya, they, Yurey, Onreyo and Tsukumoga.

otherworldly creatures in Japan are quite material. Some are deadly for a person, others are friendly, and others just like to play a trick on people, but so that they take horror.

More than two hundred creatures are collected under one cover. The uniqueness of the book is that each character has not only a description, but also a “portrait”. These “portraits” became a canonical image of the mythical creatures of Japan and the basis for the work of many contemporary artists. The authors of the images are Katsusika Hokusai, so Yunsensay, Toriyama Sekien, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Kavanabe Kösai and other artists of Ukiyo-e. The Japanese engraving of Ukiyo-E is one of the most recognizable types of traditional arts of this country and covers the period since the 1660s, when the genre only was born until the end of the 19th century