is a trilogy of Japanese horror/

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

films written by Tetsuro Yoshida and released in the late 1960s. The films were produced by

Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. (Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing ...

. There were originally three movies made: * '' Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters'' (March 1968) * '' Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare'' (December 1968) * '' Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts'' (March 1969) While not canonically linked, all three were thematically joined by their inclusion of a group of creatures from

Japanese mythology Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of ye ...

known as

yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...

(妖怪, lit. "strange things").

Influence and legacy

Receiving little attention outside Japan, the films are remembered mainly for their

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wo ...

, which include a lot of

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move ...

ry, suitmation, and even

traditional animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Proc ...

. The films made use of

("strange apparition"), based on traditional illustrations from Japanese folklore. The puppet used for the

Kasa-obake 一柳2008年77頁。 are a mythical ghost or ''yōkai'' in Japanese folklore. They are sometimes, but not always, considered a ''tsukumogami'' that old umbrellas turn into. They are also called ,造2007年 76-77頁。初見2009年 73頁。 ,水 ...

in particular has become a recognizable rendering of the creature.

Reboot series

In 2005,

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

directed a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

of ''Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare'' titled ''

The Great Yokai War is a 2005 Japanese fantasy film directed by Takashi Miike, produced by Kadokawa Pictures and distributed by Shochiku. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Mai Takahashi. The film focuses largely on creatures ...

''. The film is not officially related to the ''Yokai Monsters'' trilogy, but draws a lot of its influence from similar sources, notably the legend of

Momotarō is a popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as ''Peach Boy'', but is directly translated as ''Peach + Tarō'', a common Japanese given name. ''Momotarō'' is also the title of various books, films and other works that p ...

and

Shigeru Mizuki was a Japanese manga artist and historian, best known for his manga series ''GeGeGe no Kitarō''. Born in a hospital in Osaka and raised in the city of Sakaiminato, Tottori, he later moved to Chōfu, Tokyo where he remained until his death ...

's ''

GeGeGe no Kitarō , originally known as , is a Japanese manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as ''yōkai'', a class of spirit-monster which all of the main characters ...

'' series of the same name. Mizuki himself appears in this version, though neither the remake nor the original films make use of his yōkai creations, preferring instead to feature more traditional creatures. A sequel to ''

'', titled '' The Great Yokai War: Guardians'', was released in Japan on August 13, 2021.

References

External links

''One Hundred Monsters'' at Allmovie.com''Spook Warfare'' at Allmovie.com''Along With Ghosts'' at Allmovie.com''Yokai Monsters: One Hundred Monsters''
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

''Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare''
at the

''Yokai Monsters: Along With Ghosts''
at the

1960s monster movies Film series introduced in 1968 Films based on Japanese myths and legends Mass media franchises Kadokawa Dwango franchises Yōkai in popular culture 1968 horror films 1968 films 1969 horror films 1969 films Trilogies Works about yōkai 1960s Japanese films {{1960s-horror-film-stub

Influence and legacy

Reboot series

See also

References

External links