The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai

For artists, tattooers, and collectors building a stronger yokai visual vocabulary, The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai is a serious reference. It pairs clear explanations with a large image archive, so these creatures can be understood as iconography—not just “cool monsters.”

Mysterious demons, ghosts, and monsters have haunted Japan for centuries. In this book, yokai expert Zack Davisson introduces 100 of Japan’s strangest supernatural beings—ranging from oni and monsters to yurei (ghosts) and enchanted beasts—explaining what they are, where they come from, and why they still matter.

Each entry is supported by a rich visual record: the book is illustrated with 250+ color woodblock prints and paintings, making it especially useful for studying silhouette, expression, and the visual cues that make a yokai “read” at a glance.

Creatures featured include Amabie, Tofu Kozo, Kyokotsu, Akaname, Kanibozu, and many more.

This title is especially useful if you want to:

• Build a reference shelf for yokai / oni / yurei imagery
• Study how classic depictions shape modern manga, horror, and tattoo motifs
• Develop stronger character-driven iconography rooted in tradition

Book details

• Title: The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai
• Binding: Softcover
• Language: English
• Pages: 288
• Size: 229 × 152 × 25 mm (9 × 6 × 0.98 in)