Gazu Hyakki Yagyō Explained

is the first book of Japanese artist Toriyama Sekien's famous Gazu Hyakki Yagyō e-hon tetralogy, published in 1776. A version of the tetralogy translated and annotated in English was published in 2016.^[1] Although the title translates to "The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons", it is based on an idiom, hyakki yagyō, that is akin to pandemonium in English and implies an uncountable horde.^[2] The book is followed by Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, and Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro.

The book is a supernatural bestiary, a collection of ghosts, spirits, spooks and monsters from literature, folklore, and other artwork. The art of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō heavily references a 1737 scroll-painting called the Hyakkai Zukan by artist Sawaki Sūshi;^[3] Sekien's innovation was preparing the illustrations as woodblock prints that could be mass-produced in a bound book format.^[4] Intended as a parody of then-popular reference books such as the Wakan Sansai Zue, it ended up becoming a reference book in its own right, profoundly influencing subsequent yōkai imagery in Japan.^[5] The book proved popular enough to be reprinted three times over the course of the Edo era by various book-sellers.^[6] The book is compiled in three sub-volumes: Yin, Yang, and Wind. Yin features a foreword by poet Maki Tōei, while Wind ends with an afterword by Sekien.^[7]

First Volume "Yin" – 陰

The first volume of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, called "Yin", includes the following yōkai.

Second Volume "Yang" – 陽

The second volume of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, called "Yang", includes the following yōkai.

Third Volume "Wind" – 風

The third volume of Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, called "Wind", includes the following yōkai.

See also

• Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro
• Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki
• Konjaku Hyakki Shūi

Bibliography

• Book: Yoda , Hiroko . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . 2017 . Dover Publications . New York . en . 978-0-486-80035-6 .
• Book: Toriyama , Sekien . Toriyama Sekien . Toriyama Sekien Gazu Hyakki Yagyō Zen Gashū . July 2005 . Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd. . Tokyo . ja . 978-4-04-405101-3 . 10–65 .
• Web site: Hyakki Zufu Obake Iroha Sakuin . 2007-04-22 . CSK Pavilion: Hyakki Yagyō .

Notes and References

1. Book: Yoda . Hiroko . Alt . Matt . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . Dover Publications . 2016 . 978-0-486-80035-6 .
2. Book: Yoda . Hiroko . Alt . Matt . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . Dover Publications . 2016 . vi . 978-0-486-80035-6 .
3. Book: Yoda . Hiroko . Alt . Matt . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . Dover Publications . 2016 . 11 . 978-0-486-80035-6 .
4. Book: Foster, Michael Dylan . Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai . University of California Press . 2009 . 56.
5. Book: Yoda . Hiroko . Alt . Matt . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . Dover Publications . 2016 . viii . 978-0-486-80035-6 .
6. Book: Yoda . Hiroko . Alt . Matt . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . Dover Publications . 2016 . xiv . 978-0-486-80035-6 .
7. Book: Yoda . Hiroko . Alt . Matt . Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien . Dover Publications . 2016 . 3–5 . 978-0-486-80035-6 .