Michael Dylan Foster

2.5 I think
So, my thoughts here are heavily colored by other books I’ve read on the subject. I think this could be a good first step if you’re just discovering yokai, but if not you won’t get a lot out of it. Only about 127 pages are actually about the yokai themselves and I found most of the information to be pretty general in nature with an accompanying summary of an associated folktale. That’s fine, but I’m much more interested in learning about the current theories on the show more origins of these yokai and how they’re traced through history. Like I said, this is a good first step, although I’d argue a lot of the book leading up to the actual yokai wasn’t vital. It felt more like the author laying out their credentials than an introduction to the topic (here’s what I know about yokai and the culture). At times I questioned their interpretations as well, which made it harder for me to accept other information without skepticism.

I would recommend An Introduction to Yokai Culture if you’re looking for something more substantial and academic to sink your teeth into. It covers a lot of the same subjects but in more detail and without the padding and fluff. show less

Solid research and in-depth descriptions make this book an excellent reference.