![]() Most people nowadays seem to view yokai as broadly as possible – with all supernatural Shinto creatures and spirits (aside from the kami gods) seen as different types of yokai. Some view those as a type of yokai while others believe they are their own category. Another point of contention are the henge beings – changed people/things or mutants. Because yokai are such an unclear type of beings, many scholars can’t even agree on what exactly yokai are and which beings are yokai or which aren’t.įor example, some people call minor kami gods yokai while others insist that they are strictly kami. There are many different ways to categorize yokai and none is “more true” than the others. Other yokai, however, like the flying demons, called Tengu, are usually evil and are only rarely viewed as morally gray. Such is the case with the famous zenko kitsune (fox-like) yokai – the famous nine-tailed foxes that serve the kami Inari. Some yokai are almost always good and are even dedicated to the service of a particular kami. Yokai can be either good or evil depending on the specific yokai in question, but they are usually morally ambiguous. Portrait of a Japanese Oni Demon – A Type of Yokai Yokai, whether spirits, demons, goblins, or ghosts, are self-contained beings that can roam around on their own. Many of them can forcefully possess people or animals but that’s not their “natural” form. Yokai: Yokai spirits are separate beings that can operate in the real world without possessing anyone or anything. Usually called nigi-mitama (when they are “good”) or ara-mitama (when they are “bad”), these spirits are not yokai. Spirits: Spirits have both personalities and emotions but they are usually peaceful and don’t interact with the physical world, outside of simply possessing whatever it is they are possessing. Even natural phenomena such as rain and earthquakes are said to be possessed by spirits. In traditional Japanese mythology, all things are believed to be possessed by spirits – people, animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. Not all yokai are spirits, however, and not all spirits are yokai either. So, it’s best to just use the word yokai in English as it is, as there isn’t a direct translation. Calling them “supernatural beings” is probably closer to the truth but there are supernatural beings in Shintoism that aren’t yokai. ![]() Simply calling yokai spirits doesn’t really cut it as many yokai are not spirits. And that’s the best way to describe yokai in English as there’s no better direct translation. Put together, the idea is of an attractive yet calamitious mystery. ![]() yō, meaning attractive, bewitching, calamity.Yokai can be supernatural animals, demons, animated objects, ghosts, mutated or cursed people, and even some minor kami and demi-gods. Yokai in Japanese Shintoism are most types of supernatural animalistic spirits or phenomena.
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