Which Yokai did you pick? Why?

I decided on The Oni. After reviewing information on the topic, I found an innate curiosity about how it functioned and what impact it has on society. I am also a fan of the character itself I believe it was designed well and looks fascinating.

Name some characteristics and provide a background history/summary of your Yokai.

The Oni is a significant part of Japanese culture; being rooted deep inside mythology and folklore. They are described as large and scary with a variety of colours. Most commonly seen in folklore as tall, blue/red-skinned, horned, crazy-haired, and fanged monsters. They wear a loincloth made of the pelts of great beasts. Every Oni wields overwhelming strength and constitution. There are countless stories about the oni but all have one thing in common; in every folklore, the Oni is seen as the Villan. The root of the name “oni” means concealed/hidden. It is said all spirits and ghosts originated as Oni. Female demons are known by another name “Kijo”.

Do you think Japanese Yokai differ from Western monsters and mythical creatures? Explain.

I believe Japanese Yokai differ greatly from western style monsters. The Japanese yokai have much greater/rich lore, and most western monsters are known to have shallow history, writing, and pretty repetitive themes there’s not much build-up for the background to allow the reader to be invested. I enjoy Japanese mythology much more as the storytelling is much richer and I enjoy the fresh perspectives presented when reading.

Do you believe in Yokai, monsters, ghosts, or mythical creatures? Why or why not?

I personally do not believe in ghosts, yokai, monsters or mythical creatures; which Is ironic as I identify myself as a Christian. The existence of these creatures would be detrimental to the society we live in. When something so preposterous is seen to be reality, the peoples idea of sense is skewed. People fear what can’t be explained, fear causes panic, and panic causes chaos. The existence of these creatures would lose sense in the world.