Yokai Night · Illustrated book · Kawanabe Kyōsai, 1889
Pictures of One Hundred Demons
His teacher called him a “demon of painting.”
The Work
A book of demons by Kawanabe Kyōsai. Folded like an accordion, it opens into one long, unbroken parade of yokai.
Look Closer
Every creature has its own face and gesture, as if caught mid-step. The energy of the brushline is pure Kyōsai.
The Artist
Born in 1831, Kyōsai trained as a boy under Kuniyoshi, then in the Kanō school, whose master nicknamed him a "demon of painting."
His Student
The British architect Josiah Conder, who designed buildings in Meiji Tokyo, became Kyōsai's student.
Japan at the Time
In 1889 Japan proclaimed its first constitution. Kyōsai died that spring, and this book appeared after his death.
Culture & Values
In Edo, people gathered on summer nights to trade ghost stories. Yokai were not only feared — they were fun.
Meanwhile, in the World
The same year, the Eiffel Tower was completed for the Paris World's Fair.
Afterward
Kyōsai's work was admired abroad, and much of it is now in museums in Europe and America.
Listen while you look
This work stays on screen for about ten minutes in the full hour of Yokai Night, with Ink Spirits Of Kyosai and Brush Of The Drunken Painter.
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