Manifesto of a Modern Yōkai

What a joy it was to live in the days of Heian!

It was an age when the nights were darkest, and the power of the supernatural was at its peak. Back then, people couldn’t explain how or why natural phenomena occurred, so they attributed them to monsters and demons. In that sense, a mountain echo was a yamabiko repeating your calls, a rain shower during a sunny day was a kitsune wedding, and a strong gust of wind was a tengu flapping its wings. They were an unseen and ever-present force, told in folklore and stories to maintain the social order.

And rightly so!
Yokai have been around for far longer than you realize.

In the simplest sense, yokai are natural phenomena that have taken supernatural forms. They are living breathing entities that dwell within the world. They personify the myriad unexplained mysteries, the awe-inspiring grandeur of vistas unseen, and the spine-chilling whispers of horrors unknown. They are ghouls, goblins, demons, and spirits- all beings the world holds in esteem, that which humans take for granted; all those things that go bump in the night.

Yokai are born from Mystery.

It is not an exaggeration or a figure of speech.

When primal concepts, inexplicable goings-on, and shimmering ideals meld with the primordial force called the Fear of the Unknown, a Core Mystery is born. These Mysteries embody one of the many facets of the natural world. They represent the motivation to exist, and the will to persevere. Whether it be from natural phenomena like the autumn breeze or to more abstract concepts like the march of time or the pangs of heartbreak.

When the intangible Core Mystery gathers enough energy to physically manifest, a yokai is born. For indeed, many yokai are born in such a manner. The Core Mystery becomes their end all and be all, their raison d’etre and their way of life. They strive to embody the mystery they represent, and in doing so, fulfill the role given to them by the Fear of the Unknown.

This is an immutable fact and can be summarized as follows:

Yokai = Core Mystery + Fear of the Unknown

Furthermore, Core Mysteries have the peculiar property of dwelling within animate or inanimate entities. Some Core Mysteries may lie dormant in animals and objects, gathering ambient energies through the course of many years, eventually converting the creature or vessel into a yokai. This is how many tsukumogami and kemono are born. Some may encounter a wayward soul in its course, whose strong emotions and material ties compels that soul to manifest into a new supernatural existence. This details the birth of yurei, and to a lesser extent, some varieties of ayakashi.

This is called Manifestation, and represents the way many yokai come into being. 

We are complex and ever-changing.
It is our nature that we must adapt to the current era.

I must admit; things have undoubtedly changed through the centuries. Back then, the strongest of us had enough power to level whole cities and change the landscape of Yamato. Now, no longer. We have been reduced to shadows of our former selves, subsisting on lowly sources of power, content to wait out the span of our eternal lives under the heel of modernization. Shadows we may be, but we are still proud creatures!

We continue to lurk in the unlit corners of the modern world. In the shadows of skyscrapers, or the languid monotony of busy streets. In overgrown lots and abandoned temples; in dilapidated schools, the dark and unseen remain. Since ancient times we have captivated fascination and turned heads.

Now we forge our destiny anew.