In the Edo period after Japan opened up to foreign nations, the values of these outside nations also found their way in. The Japanese people, who in some ways considered themselves a part of the elite, thought to themselves, “this isn’t the time to be concerned with Yōkai. We need to focus on Westernization, Modernization, and the wealth and strength of the military nation of Japan.” It looked as though they were doing everything they could to become something they weren’t.

But the ties between humanity and Yōkai couldn’t be severed so easily. We have lived alongside each other for this long after all.

Amongst the common people, however, Yōkai paintings were just as popular as ever, and they were the topic in many works of literature at the time. One person who was particularly famous was the folklorist Kunio Yanagita. He traveled all over Japan gathering stories here and there, and eventually declared that each different area had their own aboriginal Yōkai.

There is an aboriginal Yōkai which has lived on the island of Shōdoshima for quite some time. See, he’s right over there. Kaboso.