Yokai of Kantō
Around Edo — today's Tokyo — the yokai became popular culture. Woodblock prints, kabuki ghost plays, and kaidan storytelling turned local spirits into celebrities, and gave us the bathhouse imps and household haunts of the city.
Tofu-kozo
豆腐小僧A harmless boy yokai who trots through the rain carrying a block of tofu.
harmless
Kejoro
毛倡妓A courtesan whose face and body are entirely hidden by cascading hair.
eerie
Hone-onna
骨女A skeletal woman who, seen as beautiful only by her lover, visits him each night.
sorrowful
Dodomeki
百々目鬼A thieving woman whose arms sprout countless bird-eyes as punishment for stealing coins.
cunning
Tenjoname
天井嘗A long-necked yokai that licks ceilings, leaving the dark stains you see overhead.
harmless
Akaname
垢嘗A small yokai that creeps into dirty bathhouses at night to lick up the grime.
harmless
Chochin-obake
提灯お化けA split-mouthed paper lantern spirit with a lolling tongue.
playful
Kasa-obake
傘化けA one-eyed, one-legged umbrella come to life—an icon of tool-spirits.
playful
Futakuchi-onna
二口女A woman with a second, ravenous mouth hidden at the back of her head.
eerie
Tamamo-no-Mae
玉藻前A nine-tailed fox disguised as a beautiful court lady who bewitches an emperor.
cunning
Hitotsume-kozo
一つ目小僧A childlike, one-eyed monk yokai that startles people on lonely roads.
harmless
Rokurokubi
轆轤首A woman whose neck stretches to impossible lengths at night.
eerie
Kitsunebi
狐火Mysterious floating fox-fires that lead travelers astray at night.
eerie
Tengu
天狗A proud mountain spirit with a red face and long nose, master of martial arts.
proud