GHOST STORIES: Yokai and Yurei in Ukiyo-e

Supernatural beings inhabit Japanese folk tales the way that farmers inhabit the countryside; they have their roles to play and appear in many of Japan's most famous stories.  Yokai and yurei are two categories given to these otherworldly visitors, and may include demons, ghosts and many other types of magical apparitions. Ghosts play leading roles in many kabuki dramas, and the ukiyo-e artists drew heavily from this wellspring of exciting characters. Here we present an interesting group that includes a fire-breathing demon cat, a shape-shifting fox and a Kuniyoshi print that features a famous wrestler being confronted by a kappa.