Yokai Chakutocho Part 2: An Edo Period Yokai Encyclopedia in Kibyoshi
This is the second installment, introducing various yokai one after another like a
Kibyoshi (yellow-cover book) "Yokai Chakutocho" (Monster Arrival Book) was illustrated by Kitao Masayoshi , published in 1788 (Tenmei 8) by Tsuruya Kiemon . This is the final part of the modern Japanese translation of the two-volume set, presented in two installments.
Volume Two
Seven
This is a genuine Umibozu (sea monk) . It is a terrifying monster that emerges from the sea and snatches sailors.
Eight
On every "black day" (kurobi), the monsters hold a gathering.
The fox is a master of dance. It performs its signature "Shinoda-zuma" dance.
Umadono beats the drum.
Nine
The yokai known as Osakabe-hime , said to live in Himeji Castle, is the boss of all scary things; once you see its form, your life is taken immediately.
There is a "Sanmen-uba" (three-faced hag), and a one-eyed monk follows the hag around.
A woman's will-o'-the-wisp bites the throat of the man she hates.
Kura-mushi live in deep grass and are sometimes encountered.
Ten
Akueki (foul breath) exhales a foul breath, and if you are hit by it, you die instantly.
The octopus monk comes out to the seaside and captures people.
A monkey that has lived for many years becomes a Hihi (baboon monster) . It can read people's thoughts through telepathy, so it cannot be caught.
The raccoon dog's testicles can expand to cover eight tatami mats and be draped over a person's head. It is said that after that, the person becomes a fool.
Eleven
|Kurumameguri| spins its own wheel with the flames coming from its mouth.
|Slug| monsters cling to people.
|Bat| monsters target people's eyes.
|Kaze-ama| appear when strong winds blow and possess people.
|Skeleton| dwell in graveyards and dance night after night.
|Red Oni| devour babies.
Twelve
Just then, the strong Kamakura-period warrior |Asahina Saburo| jumped out and defeated the various evil spirits, exterminating the monsters completely.
There is nothing to be afraid of in this world anymore. Children, be brave and go to the bathroom with peace of mind.
Happily ever after
|Masayoshi| Art
|Kitao Masayoshi| (1764–1824), whose real name was Akabane Sanjiro, was the son of a tatami maker. Around the age of thirteen, he studied under |Kitao Shigemasa| (1739–1820), and was known as one of the "Three Crows" of the Kitao school, along with |Kitao Masanobu| (also known as |Santo Kyoden| (1761–1816)) and |Kubo Shunman| (1757–1820).
This work (published in 1788) was drawn when Masayoshi was twenty-three years old. These yokai were likely influenced by |Toriyama Sekien| (1712–1788), a famous yokai artist of the time. It is similar to how modern yokai art is influenced by the style of Shigeru Mizuki's yokai encyclopedia. Furthermore, Mizuki himself was influenced by Edo-period yokai artists like Toriyama Sekien, and this lineage of yokai art continues today in works like Yo-kai Watch.
In his later years, Masayoshi became a retainer artist for the Tsuyama Domain and took the name |Kuwagata Keisai|.
