REKIHAKU

No.149 A Witness to History

A collection on ghosts and yokai

Since we held the Special Exhibition "Kaleidoscope of the different worlds -- The World to Come, Specters, Fortune Telling" in the summer of 2001, Rekihaku has continued to collect materials for this collection. Here we would like to introduce a number of items from the collection produced in the Edo period that depict supernatural creatures called yokai.

These yokai, which are grotesque supernatural creatures with incredible powers, were prompted by anxiety and fear and were given a wide range of attributes as subjects that were held in awe for sometimes causing disasters. They were also creations of human knowledge and imagination at times when people encountered mysterious phenomena that went beyond the realm of human understanding. Although stories of yokai were mainly passed down within the world of folklore, from the second half of the 18th century they became popular subjects in pictures predominantly in the cities in part due to the influence of natural history (traditional herbalism). Popularized through a variety of media, these illustrations of yokai also became entertainment.

Photo 1: "Hyakki Yagyo picture scroll," Edo period, Museum collection	Photo 2: "Hyakki Yagyo picture scroll," Edo period, Museum collection
Photo 3: "Picture scroll of ghosts," Edo period, Museum collection

Picture scrolls of yokai

The Hyakki Yagyo ("One hundred ghouls traveling by night") picture scrolls showing strange creatures of various kinds wandering along in single file are well known in Japan. Many of these scrolls were produced by painters of the Kano School from around the middle of the Edo period. Well-known among these are scrolls thought to have been produced in the Muromachi period that are held in the Shinjuan collection at Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto and said to be the work of Tosa Mitsunobu. Photo 1 shows one of the Hyakki Yagyo picture scrolls from this collection, depicting a number of yokai that had previously been old wares, following the belief in Tsukumogami, or "artifact spirits," according to which old artifacts became spirits after their 100th birthday and turned into yokai. The Hyakki Yagyo picture scroll in Photo 2 also belongs to this genre, and as denoted by the use of the characters for "hundred" and "artifact" in this instance, it shows yokai in the form of a variety of wares, some of which do not appear in the Shinjuan collection.

These Hyakki Yagyo picture scrolls showing a large number of yokai on the rampage have a dynamic feel to them. By contrast, the "Picture scroll of ghosts" (Photo 3) contains separate drawings of each kind of yokai, which are named, providing a kind of illustrated guide to ghosts. These scrolls comprise drawings of 25 kinds of yokai, including "kurokeburi" (black smoke), "okka" (large ghost) and "yamaotoko" (mountain man). A number of these are the same as those recorded in "Pictures of the Hyakki Yagyo" by Toriyama Sekien.

The "Oishi Hyoroku Monogatari picture scroll" is a story about a young warrior called Hyoroku who tries to get rid of some mischievious foxes. Set in Kagoshima, it tells the tale of Hyoroku who sets out to catch foxes. However, aware of Hyoroku's intention, the foxes turn themselves into various yokai and threaten Hyoroku (Photo 4). Each time Hyoroku is threatened he flees, but he eventually manages to catch two young foxes. His father then appears and urges him to release the foxes. However, his father is none other than a fox, who then puts the hapless Hyoroku through a number of trials, such as making him eat sweet dumplings made of horse droppings and shaving his head. Somehow, Hyoroku eventually manages to return to his fellow warriors with two foxes (Photo 5). Oishi Hyoroku is a common figure in folk customs in Kagoshima Prefecture, and there is a dance called the Hyoroku Dance.

Photo 4: "Oishi Hyoroku Monogatari picture scroll," Edo period, Museum collection	Photo 5: "Oishi Hyoroku Monogatari picture scroll," Edo period, Museum collection

The World of kappa

Kappa are one kind of yokai that live in the watery world of rivers and swamps. About the size of a child, a kappa has a shell on its back and carries a dish containing water on its head. While the general perception of kappa today is of a lovable creature, this image of kappa is believed to be a relatively recent phenomenon. Kappa pictured in "Kappa kikiawase," a record of the experiences of people who encountered kappa in the Hita district of Bungo during the Edo period, are shown as grotesque creatures with both human and monkey features. The diverse forms of kappa that appear in literature and records of the Early Modern period reflect features from monkeys, tortoises, turtles, otters, and other animals.

"Pictures of the kappa Kawataro" (Photo 6) comprises six illustrations of kappa and includes an explanation as to their origin. These pictures are similar to those seen in "Kappa kikiawase" (Photo 7). They are thought to be copies of pictures of kappa that circulated among intellectuals and traditional herbalists during the Early Modern period. "Kappa soden myoyaku majinai" ("Hereditary kappa remedy spells") (Photo 8) consists of prints from the latter part of the Edo period. They show nine kappa that were taken from "Illustrations of 12 kappa." These pictures were carried around by people who advertised the sale of medicines. The accompanying text explains the efficacy of various remedies, such as treatments for a bone stuck in the throat, for removing thorns, as well as spells to cure beriberi.

Photo 6: "Picture of the kappa Kawataro," Museum collection	Photo 7: "Picture of kappa captured in Hita, Bungo Province during the Kanei period (1624-1644)," Museum collection
Photo 8: "Hereditary kappa remedy spells," late Early Modern period, Museum collection

Kappa also appear frequently in nishiki-e. "Humorous Events at Famous Places in Edo, Part 2: An Evening Shower at Ryogoku" (Photo 9) shows a kappa who is trying to pull into the water a "Raijin" (thunder deity) who has fallen under Ryogoku Bridge. Undeterred by the wind broken by the deity, the kappa holds his nose as he continues with his task. In "Ryugu Uo Kassen" ("Ryugu Fish Battle") (Photo 10), the fish of the Ryugu Palace of Otohime engage in a fierce battle with kappa, frogs and other river dwellers. Here, this battle between human-like creatures has been used to lampoon the Boshin War (1868). "Shirafuji Genta Watching Kappa Wrestle" (Photo 11), is a picture of the sumo wrestler Shirafuji Genta, who hailed from Kazusa and was active in Edo, sitting on his veranda watching kappa engage in sumo. "A merchant's goods -- Waterproof rain capes made using paulownia oil" (Photo 12) is a humorous picture of a kappa at a shop selling waterproof rain capes, which are also called kappa in Japanese.

Photo 9: "Humorous Events at Famous Places in Edo, Part 2: An Evening Shower at Ryogoku," Museum collection	Photo 10: "Ryugu Uo Kassen," Museum collection
Photo 11: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's "Shirafuji Genta Watching Kappa Wrestle," 1865, Museum collection	Photo 12: "A merchant's goods -- Waterproof rain capes made using paulownia oil," Museum collection

"Model of a kappa" (Photo 13) is a figure that was made based on a drawing of a kappa in one of Takagi Shunsan's illustrated natural history books called "Honzo Zusetsu." According to the text, a kappa measuring approximately 107 cm tall and weighing approximately 45 kg was caught in a net in Suifu Higashihama in June 1801. In "Ichiwa Ichigen," written by Ohta Nanpo, it tells of a kappa that cried like a baby and broke unbearable wind through three orifices in its rear.

There was also a yokai, which was not a kappa, that fell from the sky when it thundered. The picture entitled "Raikiju" in Photo 14 is said to be of a yokai that fell to earth in the Takehara district in the Kumamoto fief in Higo Province on 15 June, 1796 during a fierce thunder storm at night. Appearing somewhat like a wolf, according to the accompanying written description, the yokai has long black hair that is approximately 10.7 cm in length.

Photo 13: "Model of a kappa," Museum collection	Photo 14" "Raikiju," Museum collection

References
Masanobu Kagawa, "The Edo Yokai Revolution," Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2005
Takako Tanaka, "Cities Seen in the Hyakki Yagyo," Shinyosha, 1994
Teiri Nakamura, "A History of Kappa in Japan," Publishing Division, Japan Editors School, 1996
Koichi Yumoto, "Picture Scrolls of Yokai from the Edo Period," Kobunsha Shinsho, 2003

Toru Tsunemitsu（Folklore, Research Department）