It is said that it was man's fear of nature that gave rise to the y ō kai, the monsters and ghosts that populate the stories and legends of ancient Japan. When we began to capture the images with drawing, the visual representation of this imaginary world was born: the oldest existing depictions are found on painted scrolls from the Muromachi era (1336-1573), but marking the advent of works with Y ō kai as the exclusive subject was the "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons", which was followed by nishikie (color woodcuts), everyday objects, books and games illustrated with amusing scenes starring hosts of fantastic beings. This book aims to offer an overview of the cultural trajectory followed by the most famous yo ̄kai by presenting a rich series of original works of various genres. We hope that it can serve as a spur to the development of an even broader interest in this typically Japanese culture.

Reasons of interest:

- The art of y ō kai in many curious and unpublished works, coming from the collection of the greatest Japanese collector
- From the realm of the imaginary to everyday life and various artistic genres: painted scrolls, color woodcuts, illustrated books and newspapers
- The y ō kai as graphic subjects in everyday and prayer objects:
votive images and board games, game boards and cards, weapons, clothing and accessories such as kimonos, obi, netsuke and inr or