Yokai monsters haunt 19th-century picture scroll

by Chris MaGee

Not a film-related story here, but one that any fan of Takashi Miike's "Great Yokai War", Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" or Daiei's cheesy "Yokai" films from the late 60's. The fine folks at Pink Tentacle have posted yet another eye-popping gallery of rare artwork, this time images from the "Kaikidan Ekotoba", a 19th-century hand scroll in the collection of the Fukuoka City Museum that contains 33 paintings of various yokai spirits. Not only do the ever popular frog-like kappa, the long-necked rokurokubi, and the frightening snake woman make

appearances in the scroll, but so do less well known ghouls and goblins like the Chinese Sneezer, the Tiger Meow Meow, and the Ox Woman (above).

Click here to get a wild and wonderful eyeful.