Modern Yokai according to Sakyu, Japanese artist and illustrator

Yōkai 妖怪 are supernatural entities and spirits from Japanese folklore that are deeply tied to the Japanese animist belief that spirits inhabit all things, whether living or not.

The yōkai can take on humanoid characteristics such as the zashiki-warashi , animal characteristics such as the kappa (imp or water goblin) or Amabie , who fights the plague, recently revived due to the pandemic, and even inanimate objects such as tools.

However, the yōkai do not represent a fixed and unchanging cast of characters. As times have changed, new members have been added. Urban legends like kuchisake-onnna (the woman with the slit mouth) or Hanako-san , a ghostly girl who haunts school toilets, joined the list in the Showa Period .

So it is only natural to consider that tool-based yōkai would see additional members join their ranks as new tools appear with the changing times and it is here that the yōkai of Sakyu , a Japanese artist and illustrator, come “to life.”

Sakyu ‘s imagination, so fertile when it comes to yōkai, pays homage to the artistic style and visual conventions of yōkai woodcuts and enjoys creating entirely new yōkai based on modern objects and phenomena. Through clever design, concept, and naming the yōkai to the creative use of the limited color palette to make striking compositions, Sakyu creates thought-provoking and thought-provoking works that bring the yōkai up to date with the Reiwa Era .

Here are some modern yōkai along with Sakyu’s commentary explaining the origin story of each.

Kuchi-ōi 口覆い(means “face covering”)

【口覆ひ（くちおおい）】
道端で放置されたマスクの付喪神（昔は落ちてなかったのに。時代だね。）
人間 を 中 の 汚れ から 守る 存在 だっ に も 関わらず 、 に 落ち た こと で 穢らわしい と さ れ てしまっ た。 落と し た 人間 を 恨ん 恨ん で おり 、 見つけ 次第 汚い 面 で 口 を をぱっちんしてやろうと目論んでいるpic.twitter.com/CNgsReY1pg

— さきゅう/ Sakyu 10/15@モノノケ市 (@shamo0301) November 17, 2020

Damashitanshi 騙端子(means “deceptive terminal”)

【騙端子（だましたんし）】
usb
顔を回転させて、見かけによらず何度でも人を騙すタチの悪い妖怪。 pic.twitter.com/8obp4DFLiC

— さきゅう/ Sakyu 10/15@モノノケ市 (@shamo0301) November 27, 2020

A bad-looking yōkai who turns his face and tricks people as often as he feels like it.

“This is a yōkai with a USB terminal. That phenomenon, which often turns upside down when I try to plug in the USB, is actually the work of this deception terminal.”

Fumi-sarashi 文曝し(means “letter revealer”)

【文曝し（ふみさらし）】
妖怪 ポスト ポスト 妖怪。 恐ろしく 口 が 軽く 文 を 口 に 入れ たら 最後 、 翌日 に 町内 に 文 の 内容 が 噂話 として 暴露 さ れ て て いる。 好き な 話題 は 赤面 する ほど の 甘酸っぱいだが、最近の人々が手紙離れしているため嘆く文曝しが後を絶たない。 pic.twitter.com/swPPnf4E6e

— さきゅう/ Sakyu 10/15@モノノケ市 (@shamo0301) June 2, 2021

On his Twitter account, Sakyu explains that this yōkai likes to put cards in his mouth and reveal their contents as rumors spread throughout the neighborhood. They particularly enjoy cutesy love letters.

“Nowadays, people have very few opportunities to send letters through a mailbox. I’m sure mailboxes are lonely…”

Tōchiyonkō 燈灯呼鱇(means “call of light”)

【燈灯呼鱇（とうちよんこう）】
ある 夜 男たち は 漁 へ 海 に 出 い た。 夜明け 前 こと 、 男たち は 水平 に 朝日 を 見つけ た。 「おかしい 、 まだ そんな 時間 時間 じゃない はず だ」。 男たち は 訝しん で いる とがどんどん こちら 近づい て くる。 する と 海 島 の よう な 怪魚 現れ た。 太陽 は 、 の 漁火 だっ た た。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。 q

— さきゅう/ Sakyu 10/15@モノノケ市 (@shamo0301) August 5, 2021

One night, some men went out to sea to fish and before dawn, they saw the sun rising over the horizon. “How funny, it shouldn’t be the time yet.” As men grow more and more skeptical, the sun draws ever closer. Suddenly, an island-like monster fish appeared in the sea. The sun was that monster fish of fire.

Shike-mokuren 四火煙連(difficult tradition but could be read as “bearer of fire and smoke”)

【四火煙連（しけもくれん）】
火 の た 煙草 が 集まっ て 生まれ てしまっ 邪龍。 その 体 熱 を まとい 、 吐き出す 煙 毒 を 帯び 、 通っ た あと は 火事 に なる。。 山 に 捨 て られ た 煙草 は 特に 四 四化け やすく 山火事 を 引き起こし あっ という 間 に を 焼け 野原 に し てしまう 煙草 の ポイ捨 て 、 ダメ 、 絶対。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

— さきゅう/ Sakyu 10/15@モノノケ市 (@shamo0301) October 24, 2020

Sakyu explains that this yōkai is an evil dragon formed from discarded lit cigarettes. Breathing out poisonous fumes, it leaves fires in its wake. They often appear in the mountains when people are careless about smoking and start wildfires that quickly burn down the area.

“In Japan, the fines for smoking on the street are increasing. However, I still see cigarette butts on the street. It is very important to stop littering.”

Me-kujira 目くじら

【目くじら（めくじら）】
怒りの波に乗ってやってくる怪物。
仮想 世界 も 、 現実 世界 で も 、 誰 も 彼 で も 、 の 波 に 飲ま れ 人間 は 目くじら に に れる れる。 食わ れ た 人間 は 、 、 を を か にぶつける まで 、 目くじら から 逃れる こと は でき できない.com/79RQVC6rlp

— さきゅう/ Sakyu 10/15@モノノケ市 (@shamo0301) January 30, 2021

This is a clever play on words since in Japanese, blaming others for their faults is the expression ” mekujira wo tateru “. It literally means “raise the corner of the eye”, as one does when displaying an angry, disapproving frown. Mekujira means the outer corner of the eye, but also contains the whale word kujira , which means whale .

Sakyu explains that the Me-kujira are yōkai that ride waves of rage. Whether in the virtual world or the real world, those who are consumed by rage fall victim to the Me-kujira and are persecuted by this yōkai until they take their anger out on someone else.

Sakyu has many more cool yōkai illustrations on her Twitter account and Tumblr page! We invite you to visit her account and follow her on her social networks!