The historical record

Plates

230 original woodblock prints and manuscript scans drawn from 12 source works, oldest first, sourced from Wikimedia Commons and grouped by the catalog or book they came from. Each links back to its yokai's entry. Nothing here is recolored or recomposed — where a scan is worn, it is shown worn.

Source workAll 12 source works
  1. Gaki-zōshi12th c. · 2
  2. Hyakki Yagyō emakiMuromachi–Edo · 2
  3. Wind and Thunder Gods screensearly 17th c. · 2
  4. Hyakkai Zukan1737 · 18
  5. Gazu Hyakki Yagyō1776 · 32
  6. Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki1779 · 49
  7. Konjaku Hyakki Shūi1781 · 42
  8. Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro1784 · 26
  9. Hyaku Monogataric. 1831 · 2
  10. Ehon Hyaku Monogatari1841 · 30
  11. Namazu-e woodblock broadsheet1855 · 2
  12. Single sheets, scrolls, and broadsheetsKamakura period–Meiji period · 23

Gaki-zōshi

12th c. · 2 plates

A hungry ghost crawls unseen among aristocrats in a Heian household — a scene from the 12th-century Scroll of Hungry Ghosts.
GakiGaki-zōshi (Scroll of Hungry Ghosts), 12th c., Tokyo National Museum — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A faded scroll segment: a skeletal hungry ghost rears up open-mouthed beneath a rain of small red flames.
JikininkiGaki-zōshi (Scroll of Hungry Ghosts), 12th c., Tokyo National Museum — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Hyakki Yagyō emaki

Muromachi–Edo · 2 plates

Tool-spirits on parade in a gold-ground scroll: a hammer-swinging goblin, a one-eyed pink blob, a straw-coat rider, and a cloth serpent.
TsukumogamiHyakki Yagyō emaki (Muromachi-lineage copy), tool-spirit passage — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A detail of the night parade scroll: a spiky beast and robed goblins march behind a green banner held on a dragon-headed pole.
Hyakki Yagyō EmakiHyakki Yagyō emaki (Edo-period copy), detail — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Wind and Thunder Gods screens

early 17th c. · 2 plates

Sōtatsu's wind god: a green-bodied demon striding on dark clouds, his white wind-bag arched over his shoulders across the gold ground.
FūjinTawaraya Sōtatsu, Wind and Thunder Gods screens (Fūjin panel), early 17th c., Kennin-ji — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Sōtatsu's thunder god: a white-bodied, horned demon on black clouds, ringed by his circle of drums, gold leaf all around.
RaijinTawaraya Sōtatsu, Wind and Thunder Gods screens (Raijin panel), early 17th c., Kennin-ji — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Hyakkai Zukan

1737 · 18 plates

A color scroll painting of a squat, grinning creature with a bald head, red-lipped mouth, and shaggy body standing with knees bent.
HyōsubeSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a gray, bird-beaked creature with scissor-like blades and staring eyes crouched beside a severed rope of black hair.
KamikiriSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a slender kappa standing among river reeds and lotus leaves, one webbed hand raised, its head dished and hair ragged.
KappaSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a white-furred, red-mouthed demon racing through black storm clouds, dragging a sheet of red flame behind it.
KashaSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a cat in a red flower-patterned kimono kneeling in the grass, eyes closed, playing a shamisen.
NekomataSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a sagging blob of pale flesh with rudimentary limbs, folds suggesting a melted face, standing alone.
NuppeppōSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a robed old man with an enormous elongated bald head, sword at his sash, glancing sideways.
NurarihyonSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a serpent with a woman's long-haired head, red tongue flicking, her banded coils looping across the page.
Nure-onnaSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a soot-black figure with dangling eyeballs on stalks and a fish-fin tail, wrapped at the waist in white cloth.
NuribotokeSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a hunched creature that is mostly hair — a blue-skinned, tusked face and clawed hands under a shaggy black mane.
OtoroshiSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a pale green, red-mouthed creature with a cat-like grinning face crawling forward on long thin limbs.
ShōkeraSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a bare-breasted woman with wet hair clutching an infant to her chest, her red skirt blood-stained, mist all around.
UbumeSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a horned ox-headed demon with blue-lidded eyes and red fangs, its spider body spreading six clawed hairy legs.
Ushi-oniSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a formless flesh-colored creature that is mostly a bellowing black-toothed mouth, one clawed hand raised.
UwanSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a lumpen gray-green beast, all folds and bristles, with huge round eyes and a single down-curved tusk over its red mouth.
WairaSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a grinning gray dog-like creature with floppy ears standing on its hind legs, forepaws spread wide.
YamabikoSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a white-haired old woman of the mountains, bare-shouldered in a dark leaf-strewn robe, seated on a crag with a staff, mouth open.
YamaubaSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color scroll painting of a pale woman in white robes standing in drifting snow, long black hair loose, hands folded before her.
Yuki-onnaSawaki Sūshi, Hyakkai Zukan, 1737 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Gazu Hyakki Yagyō

1776 · 32 plates

The filth-licker peers around the doorway of a bathhouse, one hand on the frame, near a drying rag and stacked water buckets.
AkanameToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A clawed, shaggy-maned beast face with gaping mouth and long tongue emerges from a black cloud above a wooden sluice gate.
AkashitaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A segmented shrimp-like creature with scissor claws hovers on a veranda beside a hanging tassel, a fan and sandal on the boards below.
AmikiriToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A one-eyed priest in dark robes stoops beneath a thatched eave beside a flowering hedge, a small lantern hanging from a branch.
AobōzuToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A bird-like beast wreathed in trailing flame drifts above a roofed offering stand and broad plantain leaves.
FuraribiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A demon in monk's robes crawls along a temple roof toward a bell tower, clawed hand outstretched, the moon rising behind.
GagozeToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman bends over a lamp stand, scroll in hand, beside an incense burner and folding screen — her form the wandering spirit of the living.
IkiryōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A dog-headed figure in formal court robes and cap sits with a folded fan while a small attendant in a patterned robe reads from a booklet.
InugamiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman with long trailing hair and a spider's legs spinning thread, small fire-breathing spiderlings scattering around a plum branch.
JorōgumoToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A weasel rides a spiraling whirlwind that tears leaves from a bent tree, its claws spread inside the vortex.
KamaitachiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An otter in a straw rain-hat and robe stands upright by a fence at dusk, a lantern hanging from its paw, a bat flying beyond.
KawausoToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Foxes gather at the water's edge at night below dark hills, one rearing upright with a small flame kindling above its head.
KitsuneToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The spirit of an old pine steps out of its trunk as a robed figure with a broom, while an aged couple stands among the boughs opposite.
KodamaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A gaunt old woman sits by a spinning wheel in a bare room, one knee drawn up, an oil lamp burning beside her patterned robe.
KurozukaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A faint figure of a robed warrior hovers in the air above a low screen while a sleeper sprawls on patterned bedding, sword at hand.
MakuragaeshiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A long-necked, tonsured giant in a robe leans around the trunk of a great tree, clawed hands spread, peering down at the road.
Mikoshi-nyūdōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A gaunt figure in tattered robes stands hunched beside a great temple bell overgrown with vines, in a field of wild grasses.
NoderabōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A wild-haired hag with a fanged grin rises from a mountain torrent among young cedars, her body trailing into the rocks.
OuniToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman's head on a long snaking neck rises over a folding screen to watch a sleeper, while her body lies collapsed on the bedding below.
RokurokubiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A house pillar with its wood grain running upside down stands against a spray of chrysanthemums and a woven fence.
SakabashiraToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A monk's anguished face wrapped in a wheel of flame drifts above a rocky stream bank and tangled autumn vines.
SōgenbiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman stretched impossibly tall leans over a brothel's second-floor screen, her hair spilling forward, sandals dropped on the walk below.
TakaonnaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A tanuki stands on its hind legs at a brushwood fence by a roofed gate, looking up at the moon, its round belly showing.
Tanuki / Bake-danukiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A hawk-faced tengu with a hooked beak and layered wing feathers perches in a pine, glaring sidelong past bare branches.
TenguToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A blind man's smooth face turns upward in windswept grasses while an eyeball stares from the palm of each outstretched hand.
TenomeToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A robed rat-priest gnaws at an altar fitting while rats swarm the pillar above and chew scattered sutra pages below.
TessoToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A ball of flame with a faint face descends on a cord-like tail from a cliff-side pine, hanging vines dangling around it.
Tsurube-otoshiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An old woman's scowling face streams through the night sky in a comet-tail of flame above bamboo thicket and fence.
UbagabiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A blind minstrel with a staff wades through open ocean swells, robes soaked to the knee, bending toward a small empty boat.
Umi-zatōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A one-eyed, shaggy mountain child in a straw skirt stands by a vine-hung tree, grinning, one hand raised to its chest.
YamawaroToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Small hammer-wielding goblins swarm a house's veranda and posts at night, prying and pounding at the boards while the shutters stand shut.
YanariToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A thin ghost in a pointed white headpiece rises above willow branches by a stone lantern and grave fence, one hand drooping forward, the moon behind.
YūreiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, 1776 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki

1779 · 49 plates

An infant spirit kneels atop a lamp stand and licks oil from the andon's dish, beside a folding screen and a sleeper's quilt.
Abura-akagoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A wild-haired figure in flowing court robes with a beast's muzzle and fangs, her long sash streaming, standing on clouds beneath a column of commentary.
AmanozakoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A boy spirit holds a paper umbrella over his head in slanting rain beside a tree and fence, a lantern and bucket at his feet.
AmefurikozōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An aged court lady in a patterned robe kneels beside a lacquered cosmetics stand, her long-toothed face turned aside, robes hanging on a rack behind her.
AonyōbōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A night heron perched among pine branches glows, rays of light radiating from its head and breast above a garden bench.
AosaginohiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A wispy, ragged figure with matted hair rises like smoke behind abandoned tools at a field's edge, one thin hand extended.
BuruburuToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman stands at a stream's edge, her robe drawn up over her head like a veil, two birds flying above the reeds.
DodomekiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Rows of dark waves under a low horizon, small clawed spirit shapes cresting in the foam around the empty sea.
FunayūreiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An old camellia tree in full bloom leans over a collapsed trellis and scattered timber saws, its flowers massed like a second creature.
Furutsubaki-no-reiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Pale flames lick up among a toppled grave enclosure, offering shelf, and stone marker on a dark hillside.
HakanohiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A horned hannya figure in white robes bends over a smoking altar of offerings, the smoke rising into a woman's face.
HannyaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A crowned woman rises waist-deep from a swirling river beneath driving rain, lightning breaking over the pines behind her.
HashihimeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A one-eyed, one-armed beast crouches on a crag among jagged peaks as the sun blazes through clouds behind them.
HiderigamiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A great shaggy baboon-like beast hunches over a fallen antlered deer beneath a twisted tree, its lips curled back.
HihiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A wild-haired crone leans in at a doorway and blows a jet of breath at a lantern, two covered lamps standing before her.
HikeshibabaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A pale flame with a long wavering tail drifts past the upper story of a house, above a pine and a paper-screened fence.
HitodamaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A small robed figure with folded arms stands in a hollow of the crags, watching clouds pour over a pine-covered ridge.
HiyoribōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman in a patterned kimono stands at a brushwood gate beneath a pine, a peony lantern in her hand, her face turned back.
Hone-onnaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A serpent-tailed bird with a beaked human face and wide feathered wings wheels through black smoke above a temple roof.
ItsumadeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A gaunt, shaggy beast with clawed forepaws glares from a rain-swept slope between a willow and a withered tree.
JamiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A hooded, hairy priest peers into an outhouse door and blows a stream of breath at a small bird taking flight, a jar standing beside him.
Kanbari-nyūdōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A cascade of gold coins and treasure pours from the night sky onto a shop roof beside a plum branch.
KanedamaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A small infant's head surfaces among river grasses and rushing water near an abandoned fishing pole and woven weir.
KawaakagoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman in a trailing robe stands in a lamplit corridor, her whole face and back curtained in a fall of tangled hair, sandals dropped behind her.
KejōrōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Pale flames drift over a battlefield fence and pines toward a lone grave-hut with a hanging bucket, rubble smoldering beyond.
KosenjōbiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A ragged white-bearded old man leans on a gnarled staff amid drifting leaves at a crossroads, glaring from under wild brows.
MomonjiiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A small dark imp with long ears and a wide grin crouches over a pale corpse's arm beneath an ancient ivy-hung pine near a grave marker.
MōryōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A badger-monk in a black robe crouches at a hearth tending a kettle with tongs, its tail slipping out from under the robe.
MujinaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A flying-squirrel beast leaps spread-limbed from a rock face toward two sparrows, above a rushing waterfall and flowering shrubs.
NobusumaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A fat, ringed caterpillar-like body rears among chrysanthemums, ferns, and vines, its blunt mouth opening at the head of the coil.
Nozuchi & TsuchinokoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A monkey-headed beast with a tiger's striped body and a serpent-headed tail crouches on a swirl of black cloud above a palace roof.
NueToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A courtier reclines against a straw bale beneath a pine as a stream of sparrows pours from his mouth toward the fields.
NyūnaisuzumeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A tall page in a chrysanthemum-patterned robe holds out a lantern on a long pole beside a landscape screen, hair parted girl-fashion.
ŌkaburoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An enormous woman's face with blackened teeth and streaming hair fills the stormy sky above an abandoned umbrella.
ŌkubiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A double-page print of dusk: beast-faces forming in the clouds over village roofs and a pagoda as crows flock home past the sinking sun.
ŌmagatokiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A horned, shaggy oni crouches inside a rocky cave mouth, fangs bared, gnawing on a limb beside a skull, ferns at the entrance.
OniToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A ragged black crane-like bird with a monkey's face perches on a round temple gong, trailing streamers of smoke from its wings.
OnmorakiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An aged noblewoman with a sly grin peers from under a swagged temple curtain as bats flutter against the dark doorway panels.
OsakabehimeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A one-legged, wild-haired mountain creature with a backwards foot reaches up beside a thatched hut, a crab clinging to its side, waterfall beyond.
SanseiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A faint woman's form rises with the smoke from a well among willows, one plate held up as she counts, rays of dawn slanting through.
SarakazoeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A shaggy ape-like mountain figure stands upright at the foot of trees on a slope, one hand raised to its scowling wrinkled face.
SatoriToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Distant hills across choppy water with wisps of flame in the night air, a roofed boat with a tasseled prow riding the swell in the foreground.
ShiranuiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The drunken ogre boy slumped asleep across his bedding in patterned robes, a lion-faced beast curled beneath him, a sake cup fallen nearby.
Shuten-dōjiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A scaled, tiger-clawed water creature crouches on rocks where a rapid breaks, kneecaps spiked, under overhanging leaves.
SuikoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A wild-haired hag hangs upside down from a hole in the ceiling boards, grinning down over her own tangled hair.
TenjōkudariToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woodpecker atop a rising ribbon of smoke pecks the air above a demon-faced spirit bursting from a torn ceremonial robe near a writing desk.
TeratsutsukiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A dense mountain landscape print: warriors climb the crags while the earth spider waits in its radiating web in a hollow of the foreground rocks.
TsuchigumoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A woman in white, candles burning in her iron crown, drives a nail into a sacred tree at the shrine hour of the ox, a drowsing ox at her feet.
Ushi no Toki MairiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A giant flaming ox-cart wheel with a scowling man's face at the hub rolls past a house's board door, smoke curling off the rim.
WanyūdōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, 1779 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Konjaku Hyakki Shūi

1781 · 42 plates

A long-haired woman in a loose robe stands in driving rain beside a roofed lantern post, licking rainwater from her raised hand.
AmeonnaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A horned, dark-robed figure with a toothy grin looms behind a paper andon lamp; scattered game pieces and a scroll lie before it.
AoandonToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of an immense sea serpent coiling over and around a fishing boat, its spotted body arcing through the waves on every side.
AyakashiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A wrinkled, bearded face peers out from among the great torn leaves and hanging flower of a banana plant.
Bashō-no-seiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A pale figure in white robes leans over the top of a tall folding screen, peering down at a low table with a pipe and sake cup.
ByōbunozokiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A one-eyed, mud-black torso rises from a rice paddy, three-fingered hands raised, beside a grave post and withered fence.
DorotabōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A face and long streaming hair form themselves out of smoke coiling up from a hut's smoke-hole into the night air.
EnenraToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A spotted, wind-riding beast clings head-down to a cliffside tree above flowering shrubs and rushing water.
FūriToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A hairy, monkey-like river creature crouches on stones at the water's edge, gnawing a fish held in both hands.
GangikozōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A many-eyed white ox-beast with horns along its back and a second bearded face at its chest, standing beneath a curling cloud.
HakutakuToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A long ribbon of woven cloth rises off an unattended loom and coils into the air, ending in a barbed serpent's head.
HatahiroToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A long-necked bald creature stretches from under a veranda to lick the oil of a lamp beside a sleeper's checked quilt.
HimamushinyūdōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A figure in a wide straw hat and patterned robe pauses on a stream bank, glancing back at a small sharp-featured face reflected in the water.
IyayaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A hunched old woman with horns grips a staff, a spotted serpent coiling around her shoulders and striking outward beside a riverbank.
JakotsubabaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A long patterned obi slides off a folding screen painted with waves, coiling across the floor like a serpent toward a tasseled pillow.
JataiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A gnarled tree by a rock outcrop, its branches hung with round fruit bearing small smiling human faces.
JinmenjuToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The shadow of a woman cast across the paper of a closed sliding screen in moonlight, a bow and arrows lying on the veranda.
Kage-onnaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A double-page print of a hidden village at its work — figures grinding, serving, and carrying inside a great house while rats swarm the garden gate.
KakurezatoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A gaunt, half-skeletal monk wreathed in flame sits at the foot of a twisted tree, prayer beads fallen beside a banner marked with swastikas.
KazenbōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An enormous laughing woman in a patterned robe looms over a rooftop wall, covering her grin with one hand, hairpins slipping.
Kerakera-onnaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A dog-sized mound of long shaggy hair with two staring eyes crouches by a garden jar and broad leaves beside a veranda.
KeukegenToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The ogre-boy Kidōmaru crouches in snow draped in a horned ox hide, sword ready, watching the road beside snow-laden bamboo.
KidōmaruToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A horned woman, half transformed, her lower body a scaled serpent coiling in flame, rears against the great temple bell of Dōjō-ji.
KiyohimeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A hunched crone in a ragged robe crouches by a temple door gnawing at something, a cat curled beside a water jar, clothes hung on the wall.
KokuribabaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A short-sleeved kimono draped over a stand reaches out with two pale hands from its sleeves toward a crane-shaped candle stand.
Kosode-no-teToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A skeletal figure with wisps of white hair rises like a ribbon of smoke from a well bucket among tall autumn grasses.
KyōkotsuToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A heap of skulls piled at the corner of a veranda, dozens of eye sockets staring up while one skull grins atop the mound.
MekurabeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A straw raincoat lies burning on a stream bank in a mesh of small flames while a distant figure walks the paddy path beyond.
MinobiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The torn paper panes of a sliding screen filled with small watching eyes, wild grasses leaning through the broken lattice.
MokumokurenToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The demon-woman of Togakushi in a patterned robe stands beneath a maple, sword in hand, her long hair loose against the moonlit swirl.
MomijiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A tea kettle sprouting a furred tail and whiskered face hangs over a hearth beside a checked winnow and a fish-shaped plaque.
Morinji-no-kamaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A creature with a whiskered ape-like face and clawed forearms rises from churning waves, its scaled fish body curling behind it.
NingyoToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An ox-cart looms in moonlit haze, its woven canopy framing a huge wild-haired face with blackened teeth where the rider would sit.
OborogurumaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A great clawed, hairy hand descends from storm clouds over an abandoned patterned robe and a dropped folded fan.
OnihitokuchiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A bent old woman under a straw hat trudges through snow leaning on a bamboo staff, carrying a sake flask, geese passing overhead.
OshiroibabaToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A gaunt blind masseur in a ragged robe stands on a stone-paved path by a fence, straw sandals on, one withered hand extended before him.
ŌzatōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The Rashōmon oni glares down from the gate's pillar top in a whirl of wind, one clawed foot on the checkered platform, arm ending in a bound stump.
RashōmonToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Tiny armored warriors battle across the sea of an inkstone, waves of ink breaking between them, beside a vase of brushes topped by a perching warrior.
Suzuri-no-tamashiiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A crowned robed king stands on a cloud rising through the middle of a waterfall, arms spread, spray scattering like blossoms.
Takirei-ōToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A black bird tumbles from curling clouds of vapor above the killing stone on its crag, a withered tree and fence below.
Tamamo-no-MaeToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A mountain slope in a storm of flying stones: goblin faces swarm in the black scree cloud above wind-bent pines.
TengutsubuteToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A figure tumbles backward in mid-air, hair yanked upward into a long strand snagged on a crag, a bald patch at the crown; an umbrella lies fallen below.
UshirogamiToriyama Sekien, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, 1781 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro

1784 · 26 plates

A robed figure with a biwa lute for a head walks with a staff through wind-swept grasses, one hand raised.
Biwa-bokubokuToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A ragged checked futon coils like a serpent around its sleeper, whose face presses through the folds, torn corners raised like claws.
BoroborotonToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A torn paper lantern hangs from a bamboo pole above a stream bank, its rip forming a single eye and its trailing paper a tongue of flame.
BuraburaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A double-page print of the dust-heap demon king prying up a patterned screen while horned beasts and a sack-carrying imp tumble across the panels.
Chirizuka-kaiō & Fuguruma-yōhiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A double-page print of a wild-eyed hag face rising from a toppled book cart while small goblins scatter its spilled letters and scrolls.
Fuguruma-yōhiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A badger-faced figure in a flower-patterned kimono stands hunched with a cloth sack, a small lantern glowing at its feet.
Fukuro-mujinaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An old fur-wrapped quiver on a stand sprouts a warrior's spirit-form beside a spray of arrows — a worn impression of Sekien's plate.
Furu-utsuboToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A horned cat wearing a trivet like a crown crouches at a hearth, blowing through a bamboo fire-tube at the flames.
GotokunekoToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A bearded, wild-haired figure in torn priest's robes carries a wand of paper streamers over his shoulder beneath a bamboo festoon.
HeirokuToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A skeletal umbrella, its cover torn away to bare ribs, tumbles bird-like through wind-blown willow leaves trailing flame.
HonekarakasaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A freckled long-tongued face looms in a spray of hair above a sake shop's water barrel, a broom leaning nearby.
KameosaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Sekien's koto spirit: an old koto sprouting a whiskered face and a mane of snapped strings, dragging itself past bamboo.
Koto-furunushiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A serpent-necked figure armored in scrolls and sutra pages rears above a desk of books, its beaked head thrust forward, wielding a rolled scroll.
KyōrinrinToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A cluster of gigaku masks — fierce, wrinkled, and beaked — hovers around a drum and a latticed screen, one mask trailing its cord.
MenreikiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A shaggy-tailed spirit rises from a black-lidded kettle, holding up an open book beside a portable stove and stacked utensils.
NarigamaToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A turban-shell body sprouts sinewy arms and a horned, weed-bearded face as it rides a curling wave, one fist raised.
Sazae-oniToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A little general assembled from crockery — a jar-lid hat, teapot arms, and a patterned porcelain robe — brandishes a ladle-spear amid broken dishes.
SetodaishōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A hooded figure whose robe trails into a shamisen's neck kneels by a lectern with an open songbook, plectrum held like a fan.
ShamichōrōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The seven lucky gods crowd their treasure ship under full sail, crane overhead and Fuji small on the horizon — Sekien's takarabune spread.
ShichifukujinToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A dragon formed from an old twisted dishrag rears off a clothesline pole above a fence and bucket, its ragged head snarling.
ShirouneriToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A robed figure crowned with a cluster of kagura bells kneels at a rack of hanging chimes, sleeve raised mid-dance.
SuzuhikohimeToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A tall creature with a long frilled tongue and plated body licks the ceiling beam of a broken-paneled room, grasses at its feet.
TenjōnameToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A double-page spread from Sekien's last catalog: a treasure-laden shishi-dog procession with attendants, text columns above.
Toriyama SekienToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A spread from the 1784 catalog: the spear-carrier Yarikechō and companion tool-spirits march across two pages of text and landscape.
The Tsurezure Bukuro RemainderToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A round mirror on a stand shows a dotted, grimacing demon face while cloud-patterned drapery coils beside it on the veranda.
UngaikyōToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A spike-backed creature like a walking grater pokes its tusked head over a workbench of scattered kitchen tools and a basket of pestles.
YamaoroshiToriyama Sekien, Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, 1784 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Hyaku Monogatari

c. 1831 · 2 plates

Oiwa's face swelling out of a paper lantern against a night sky — the lantern-ghost convention in Hokusai's Hundred Tales print.
Chōchin-obakeKatsushika Hokusai, Hyaku Monogatari: Oiwa the lantern ghost, c. 1831, Library of Congress — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Oiwa's ruined face swelling out of a paper lantern above a terrified glance of smoke and votive slips — Hokusai's lantern-ghost print.
OiwaKatsushika Hokusai, Hyaku Monogatari: Oiwa-san, c. 1831–32 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Ehon Hyaku Monogatari

1841 · 30 plates

A double-page color print of the giant red stingray lying like an island at the sea's surface, a boat of sailors landing on its sandy back.
AkaeiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a small wild-haired man crouched on a rocky bank over a rushing stream, washing azuki beans in a wooden tub, a ladle beside him.
AzukiaraiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a great rooster with a fleshy white crest and sweeping tail breathing red flame among green bamboo.
BasanTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a seated woman eating dumplings while her long hair coils behind her like a serpent, lifting food to a second mouth at the back of her head.
Futakuchi-onnaTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a fox-priest in a white cowl and dark robes leaning on a staff among flowering thistles, a fox's muzzle showing under the hood.
HakuzōsuTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a great spotted fish rising beside a boat, its barbed tail curling over a fisherman who braces an oar against it.
IsonadeTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of Kasane's grim ghost rising in black flames behind a seated figure in a blue kimono who reads a letter, unaware.
KasaneTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A pale figure formed of cloud rises from blue waves before the huge low moon, one arm extended over the water.
Katsura-otokoTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a seated woman in a patterned kimono resting her cheek on one hand beside a ball of thread, chrysanthemums beyond the veranda.
KuzunohaTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a huge black rat with a curling tail rearing over a basket of spotted kittens on a veranda, vine leaves above.
KyūsoTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of three bearded severed heads snapping at one another amid whirling waves, trailing blood as they circle.
MaikubiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a tanuki in the rain, sheltering under its own inflated scrotum like a cloak, holding a bowl and a paper charm by a stream.
MamedanukiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a sleeping woman grown enormous, sprawled across her bedding under a lantern, seen through the opened sliding door.
NebutoriTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a squirrel-beast in a mountain pine breathing a pale beam down at travelers on the path below, two bats tumbling in it.
NodeppōTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a kneeling woman at a shrine post whose face is a featureless white band above a dark gaping mouth.
Noppera-bōTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a giant toad with a sword hilt jutting from its back, crouched on a mossy crag, its long tongue extended toward a snake.
ŌgamaTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a woman in a blue kimono kneeling by a shrine gate post, her face nothing but a wide blackened-tooth grin under a folded hood.
Ohaguro-bettariTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a woman's head and silk-bound body emerging insect-like from a tangle of smoky coils above the timbers of a well.
OkikuTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a huge black bear-beast walking upright, carrying a struggling foal under one arm while its mare rears behind.
OnikumaTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The thunder beast crouches on a crag as its double tumbles inside a spiraling storm vortex — the Ehon Hyaku Monogatari plate.
RaijūTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a ragged old figure crouched between two red-tongued fires on a mountain path, stream and blossoms behind.
RōjinbiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of an old peddler beset by tanuki in mid-transformation — spotted badger-cats swarming his legs on the road to a distant theater town.
Shibaemon-tanukiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a gaunt, wild-haired figure in a loincloth beckoning at a doorway, its arm thrust through the lattice toward a box of papers.
ShinigamiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of Chōjirō the salt merchant crouched beside his emaciated horse under a pine branch, prying at its haunch, a paper in one hand.
Shio-no-ChōjiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a horned dragon coiled in a spiral shell riding a mountain torrent between rocks, pines bending in the storm above.
ShusseboraTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a giant straddling a mountain gorge, bent double to wash its hands in the tarn below, a village small at the water's edge.
Tearai-oniTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The mountain man: a bald, muscled giant in a fur waist-wrap standing under a tree, one hand extended, brushwood at his feet.
Yama-otokoTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a monkey-like beast with pursed lips leaning over a sleeper's chest to suck his breath, while a companion sleeps on unaware.
YamachichiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The one-eyed mountain elder in a grass skirt reaches out to take a fish offered by a fisherman on a pole.
YamajijiiTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A color print of a woman in a patterned kimono holding an infant beneath a willow whose branches trail down over the pale slope behind her.
Yanagi-onnaTakehara Shunsen, Ehon Hyaku Monogatari, 1841 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Namazu-e woodblock broadsheet

1855 · 2 plates

The god Takemikazuchi presses the great kaname-ishi stone down on the giant catfish while commoners and officials crowd around.
Kaname-ishiNamazu-e woodblock broadsheet: Takemikazuchi pins the namazu with the kaname-ishi, 1855 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The giant namazu surfaces offshore spouting a fountain of gold coins while townsfolk on the shore reach and scramble for them.
NamazuNamazu-e woodblock broadsheet, 1855 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons

Single sheets, scrolls, and broadsheets

Kamakura period–Meiji period · 23 plates

Michizane's wrath as the thunder god rides a black storm cloud over bare winter hills — detail from the Kitano Tenjin scroll.
Sugawara no MichizaneKitano Tenjin Engi emaki (detail: the thunder god), Kamakura period, Metropolitan Museum of Art — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The Bakemono no e scroll's nurikabe: a white, three-eyed lion-like bulk crouching low on drooping paws.
NurikabeBakemono no e scroll, 17th c., Brigham Young University — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A small encyclopedia woodcut of the kokakuchō as a bird perched on a bare branch under slanting rain.
KokakuchōTerajima Ryōan, Wakan Sansai Zue, 1712 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Jakuchū's white phoenix spreads its heart-tipped tail across a pine, the red sun behind — silk painting in full color.
Hō-ōItō Jakuchū, phoenix painting, 18th c. — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The Buson scroll figure: a pale body on all fours, head down, displaying the single round eye where its tail should be.
ShirimeYosa Buson, Buson yōkai emaki, 18th c. — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A 1788 book page: the tofu boy grins under his wide hat, tray in hand, while spirits peer down from the tree above.
Tōfu-kozōKitao Masayoshi, Yōkai chakutōchō, 1788 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Utamaro's close portrait of the mountain woman Yamauba with long loose hair, the red-skinned child Kintarō frowning at her shoulder.
KintarōKitagawa Utamaro, Yamauba and Kintarō, 1796 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The 1836 kawaraban: a calf-bodied creature with a human face standing in profile beside columns of prophecy text.
KudanKudan kawaraban woodblock broadsheet, 1836 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A colossal skeleton leans through torn palace blinds toward two startled figures while Princess Takiyasha reads from her scroll — Kuniyoshi's triptych.
GashadokuroUtagawa Kuniyoshi, Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre, c. 1844 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A giant black smooth-headed figure looms out of the swell over a small boat where the sailor Tokuzō stands his ground.
UmibōzuUtagawa Kuniyoshi, Tōkaidō gojūsan tsui: Kuwana, c. 1845 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The 1846 kawaraban: a beaked, long-haired creature with a scaled body and three finned legs standing in the waves beside columns of report text.
AmabieKawaraban woodblock broadsheet, 1846, Kyoto University Library — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Hokusai's baku: a shaggy, elephant-trunked beast with tusks and clawed feet, curled in on itself mid-stride.
BakuKatsushika Hokusai, Baku, 19th c. — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Kuniyoshi's comic print: the hag Datsueba locked in a neck tug-of-war with a fox, foxes and horse-headed onlookers cheering each side.
Datsue-baUtagawa Kuniyoshi, Datsueba and Okina Inari in a neck tug-of-war, 19th c. — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Two women doze over a brazier while the fox wedding procession files across the dream-cloud above them.
Kitsune no YomeiriUtagawa school woodblock print, Dream of a Fox Wedding, 19th c., LACMA — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Momotarō and the wild boy Kaidōmaru locked in a sumo hold while a black monkey referees with a fan and a pheasant-headed second looks on.
MomotarōUtagawa Kunisada, Momotarō and Kaidōmaru, 19th c. — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Urashima Tarō rides homeward on the shaggy-tailed turtle, his jeweled box in his lap — Yoshitoshi's sketch print.
Urashima TarōTsukioka Yoshitoshi, Urashima Returning (Kikoku Urashima), 19th c., LACMA — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Amaterasu emerges radiant from the rock cave above the assembled gods with the mirror raised at the right — Kunisada's triptych.
AmaterasuUtagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III), Origin of the Iwato Kagura Dance, 1856 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Masakado in lacquered armor charges on his white horse through the night, an enemy in armor tumbling beneath its hooves.
Taira no MasakadoTsukioka Yoshitoshi, Yoshitoshi musha burui: Taira no Masakado, 1883 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
Susanoo, sword drawn on a crag, faces the eight-headed serpent coiling out of the storm-black river below.
Yamata no OrochiTsukioka Yoshitoshi, Susanoo slays the Yamata no Orochi, 1887 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
The demon Ibaraki, disguised as an old aunt, soars away through smoke clutching her severed arm — Yoshitoshi's print.
Ibaraki-dōjiTsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Flying Demon (Ibaraki), 1889 — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
A Meiji cholera-prevention print: a tiger-wolf beast looms as a ghost over a sickroom where attendants tend a stricken man.
KorōriCholera-prevention nishiki-e broadsheet, Meiji period — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
King Enma glares from his judge's bench above a courtroom of scribes, mirrors, and demons processing the dead.
Enma DaiōKing Enma in Hell, Buddhist hell painting — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons
An Otogi-zōshi book spread: tiny Issun-bōshi with his hat and mallet faces two shaggy oni beneath pines, text page alongside.
Issun-bōshiOtogi-zōshi illustrated manuscript, Tale of Issun-bōshi — via Wikimedia CommonsView on Wikimedia Commons