is the fourth book in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese artist

Toriyama Sekien 200px, A , specifically a Miage-nyūdō, as portrayed by Toriyama , real name Sano Toyofusa, was a scholar, '' kyōka'' poet, and ''ukiyo-e'' artist of Japanese folklore. Early life Born to a family of high-ranking servants to the Tokugawa sh ...

's famous ''

Gazu Hyakki Yagyō 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. Although the title translates to "The I ...

tetralogy A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies ...

. A version of the tetralogy translated and annotated in English was published in 2016. The title is a

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

; "hyakki", normally written with the characters "hundred" and "''

oni An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...

''", is instead written with "hundred" and "vessels". This hints that the majority of the ''

yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and Spirit (supernatural entity) , spirits in Japanese folklore. The kanji representation of the word comprises two characters that both mean "suspicious, doubtful", and while the Japanese name is simply ...

'' portrayed in its pages are of the variety known as ''

tsukumogami In Japanese folklore, ''tsukumogami'' (付喪神 or つくも神, lit. "tool ''kami''") are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit. According to an annotated version of ''The Tales of Ise'' titled ''Ise Monogatari Shō'', there is a theory o ...

'', man-made objects taken sentient form. ''Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro'' is preceded in the series by ''

'', ''

Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki is the second book of Japanese artist Toriyama Sekien's famous ''Gazu Hyakki Yagyō'' tetralogy, published c. 1779. A version of the tetralogy translated and annotated in English was published in 2016. These books are supernatural Bestiary, best ...

'', and ''

Konjaku Hyakki Shūi is the third book of Japanese artist Toriyama Sekien's ''Gazu Hyakki Yagyō'' tetralogy, published c. 1781. These books are supernatural bestiaries, collections of ghosts, spirits, spooks and monsters, many of which Toriyama based on literature ...

''. Published in 1781, it was inspired in part by ''

Tsurezuregusa is a collection of essays written by the Japanese monk Kenkō (兼好) between 1330 and 1332. The work is widely considered a gem of medieval Japanese literature and one of the three representative works of the zuihitsu genre, along with ''The ...

'' (''Tales in Idleness''), a 14th-century essay collection by the monk

Yoshida Kenkō , also known as , or simply , was a Japanese author and Buddhist monk. His most famous work is '' Tsurezuregusa'' (''Essays in Idleness''), one of the most studied works of medieval Japanese literature. Kenko wrote during the early Muromachi and ...

. The book takes the form of a supernatural

bestiary A bestiary () is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beas ...

. Unlike previous books in the series, the majority of ''Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro''s

appear to be of Sekien's own creation, based on turns of phrase or stories from ''

'' and other works of literature. Also unlike the other books in the series, ''Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro'' has a rudimentary narrative framework, described as the record of a strange dream in early printings (the third printing omits this introduction). The book is compiled in three sub-volumes: Jō, Chū, and Ge (literally "top", "middle", and "bottom", but generally translated as first, second, and third volume in English.) The imagery below is from the third printing of the book.

List of creatures

First Volume

File:SekienTakarabune1.jpg, File:SekienChirizukaKaio.jpg, File:SekienFugurumaYoki.jpg, File:SekienOsakoburi.jpg, File:SekienKutsutsura.jpg, File:SekienBakenokawagoromo.jpg, File:SekienKinu-tanuki.jpg, File:SekienKoroka.jpg, File:SekienTenjoname.jpg, File:SekienShiro-uneri.jpg, File:SekienHonekarakasa.jpg, File:SekienShogoro.jpg, File:SekienHossumori.jpg, File:SekienSazae-oni.jpg,

Second Volume

File:SekienYarikechouKoinryoZenfusho.jpg, , , and Zenfushō is a teakettle

which holds a clawed staff called ''koinryō''. It is pictured alongside monsters called ''Yarikechō'' and ''Koinryō''. File:SekienKurayaro.jpg, File:SekienAbumi-guchi.jpg, File:SekienTaimatsu-maru.jpg, File:SekienBurabura.jpg, File:SekienKaichigo.jpg, File:SekienKami-oni.jpg, File:SekienTsuno-hanzo.jpg, File:SekienFukuro-mujina.jpg, File:SekienKotofurunushi.jpg, File:SekienBiwa-bokuboku.jpg, File:SekienShamichoro.jpg, File:SekienEritate-goromo.jpg, File:SekienKyorinrin.jpg, File:SekienNyubachiboHyotan-kozo.jpg, and File:SekienMokugyo-daruma.jpg, File:SekienNyoijizai.jpg, File:SekienBoroboroton.jpg, File:SekienHahakigami.jpg, File:SekienMinowaraji.jpg,

Third Volume

File:SekienMenreiki.jpg, File:SekienHeiroku.jpg, File:SekienUngaikyo.jpg, File:SekienSuzuhiko-hime.jpg, File:SekienFuru-utsubo.jpg, File:SekienMukukabaki.jpg, File:SekienChokuboron.jpg, File:SekienSetodaisho.jpg, File:SekienGotoku-neko.jpg, File:SekienNarigama.jpg, File:SekienYama-oroshi.jpg, File:SekienKameosa.jpg, File:SekienTakarabune2.jpg, File:SekienTakarabune3.jpg,

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Authority control Edo-period works Yōkai