Japanese gods cannot be seen, of course. We dubious creatures also exist but cannot be seen. We only exist through our physical presence, in the tales passed down, and in the written stories which exist about us.

When stories came to be told through images and text on a picture scroll, the gods that bless humans, and we mysterious creatures who trouble them, were also given a shape. Humans have created an image of us based on legend and have portrayed this through their artwork. For example, take the oni demons who were so feared during the Heian Period (794 to 1185), who surpassed the powers of humans and brought calamity onto their race, devouring them, stealing their property, and tormenting those who fall down into the underworld. Merciless creatures of superhuman strength and bravery, with ominous horns protruding from their forehead, these oni demons saw right through the fears and actions of their victims with an eerie glare in their eyes.

But along with the passage of time, strange small creatures began to appear in these scrolls. In the Edo period, many Yōkai which are still known to this day began to make their appearance. We will introduce them on the next floor, so let’s head on up.