© Yukinobu Tatsu, Shueisha, Viz Media
I was just at AnimeNYC, and as usual, after my yokai panel I had people curious about their favorite series, asking “Is this a real yokai?” I get that question all the time and the answer is always “Yes.” Because all yokai are real to the same extent that no yokai are real. Dealing with the realms of the imagination reality doesn’t come into play.
What they truly want to know is if the monster in their manga has folkloric provenance. They want to know if the creature comes from whispered tales told at night and passed down by generations rather than the mere invention of an artist’s pen. Somehow, this lends credibility. Yet as I explore in my book THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO JAPANESE YOKAI many of Japan’s most famous yokai come from an artist’s pen.
In his Edo period book series HYAKKI YAGYO artist Toriyama Sekien is thought to have created around eight-five yokai. Well-known monsters like Wanyudo, a flaming monk’s head stuck in a wagon wheel, are Sekien originals. Many more yokai come from books, plays, prints, and games—the only difference is that they were created two centuries ago. I don’t think that is much difference at all. A yokai invented by masters like Shigeru Mizuki for his comic KITARO or Yukinobu Tatsu for DAN DA DAN are no less “real” for having been created in this century.
But it is still a fun question to ask. After all, if I didn’t enjoy researching the roots of yokai I wouldn’t have made the career for myself that I have. Tatsu has a particular taste for obscure urban legends which makes it all the more delightful. DAN DA DAN is full of rabbit holes to explore. The Flatwood Monster; the Count Saint-Germain…You can safely assume every oddity in DAN DA DAN has some bizarre history. Yukinobu Tatsu does his research.
Let’s take a look at some of the most excellent monsters of DAN DA DAN and see if they have folkloric provenance.
• Gazan Daishi – The amulets used to repel and trap evil spirits are 100% authentic. You can buy them at temples across Japan. They feature the image of the 10th-century monk Ryogen, more commonly called Tsuno Daishi, meaning Horned Great Master, or Gazan Daishi. Ryogen was the 18th abbot of the famed Enryaku-ji temple and a master of the esoteric Tendai sect of Buddhism. The legend goes that he fell ill when attacked by the disease-causing plague gods, yakubyogami, so he manifested his oni-form to drive them away. This gave rise to his deification as Tsuno Daishi, and status as a hosogami, or deity invoked during epidemics to offer protection. Images of Gazan Daishi and another hosogami Shoki the Demon Queller were placed over doorways to frighten any yakubyogami that might want to infect a household. They are still used to this day.
© Yukinobu Tatsu, Shueisha, Viz Media
• Turbo Granny (Turbo Bachan) – This odd creature comes from Mt. Roku in Hyogo prefecture. She is one of the “surprise”-style of yokai, who pose no threat but get a kick out of making people jump. The story is simple; while speeding through one of the many tunnels that thread through Japan’s mountains, you get an unexpected tap on your car window. Looking out, an old woman is grinning at you, her fast feet easily able to keep pace. Her prank played, and she disappeared. Everything else about Turbo Granny was invented by Yukinobu Tatsu, including her particular taste for schlongs.
© Yukinobu Tatsu, Shueisha, Viz Media
• Acrobatic Silky (Akurobatiku Sarasara) – The bendy woman in the red dress is Japan’s answer to Slenderman. What might be called a creepypasta, she was first written about in 2008 by a college student on a 2-chan message board dedicated to horror and the supernatural. Others immediately started writing stories about her. She originated in Fukushima but some claimed sightings as far away as Hiroshima. Acrobatic Silky is said to be unusually tall, wears a red hat and dress, has hollowed-out eye sockets, and has extensive scarring on her left arm. She is said to leap from the roofs of apartment buildings and disappear right before she touches the ground.
© Yukinobu Tatsu, Shueisha, Viz Media
• Serpos (Serupo Seijin) –Serpo is a planet in the Zeta Reticuli star system, and one of the most celebrated and feared in modern ufology. Home of the infamous “Greys,” the planet first mentioned as Project Serpo in a UFO email list maintained by Victor Martinez. Project Serpo was a human-alien exchange program overseen by the US government. Soon, Serpo was linked to the Roswell Incident, the Betty and Barney Hill sighting, and many others. There are books written as first-hand accounts of journeys to Serpo as part of the exchange program. No physical evidence of the planet’s existence has been found.
© Yukinobu Tatsu, Shueisha, Viz Media
• Reiko Kashima / Slit-Mouthed Woman (Kuchisake Onna) – The best known of modern yokai, Kuchisake Onna appearances arose in Gifu Prefecture in 1978. Sightings were sporadic until picked up by a local radio station in January 1979. From then, panic spread across the nation. Sightings were reported of a woman in a mask carrying a kitchen knife frightening children. By August of 1979, she was gone. From then, the kuchisake onna entered legend, becoming the first yokai of the modern era. Her legend spread to include her asking the question “Am I pretty?” In true yokai fashion, there is no correct answer. You are dead either way.
• Earth-bound Spirit (Jibakurei) –Jibakurei comes from the comic Ushiro no Hyakutaro(Behind the Hundred Taros) by Tsunoda Jiro. Tsunoda used the word jibakurei to describe yūrei bound to something or somewhere instead of someone. Usually, these were unnatural deaths, such as suicide or murder. Tsunoda believed these deaths somehow linked the yūrei to their location. He said they projected a psychic resonance that caused others to die in the same manner, which is how suicide spots accumulate across Japan. In DAN DA DAN, this belief is merged with the Heikei Crabs. These are a species native to Japan famous for having a samurai face on their carapace. They are considered to be the reincarnation of the Heikei warriors who died during the battle of Dan-no-ura.
Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and folklorist. He is the author of Manga: A Visual History, The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai¸and Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan. He is the translator of Shigeru Mizuki‘s multiple Eisner Award-winning Showa: A History of Japan, Tono Monogatari, and famous folklore comic KITARO. He lectured on manga, folklore, and translation at colleges such as Duke University, Annapolis Naval Academy, UCLA, and the University of Washington, and contributed to exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery, The Museum of International Folkart, Wereldmuseum Rotterdan, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He currently lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Miyuki, dog Mochi, cat Shere Khan, and several ghosts.