In the sophisticated popular culture of the Edo period (1603-1868), much attention was devoted to Japan's rich variety of traditional monsters and apparitions, known as yokai. Sometimes frightening, sometimes humorous, these compelling Japanese folk creatures were the subject of numerous artistic and literary works. One such work was Hyakkai Zukan, a collection of picture scrolls completed in 1737 by Sawaki Suushi, a relatively unknown artist. Hyakkai Zukan's colorful depictions of Japan's most notorious creatures inspired yokai artists for generations. Here are some of Sawaki Suushi's paintings and my own study of the Ushi-Oni (cow devil) at the top -
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