Yōkai I: .Rokurokubi.
"In their human form during the day, they tend to live unnoticed and may even have mortal spouses. Many are so used to leading a normal life that they do the impossible to keep their supernatural condition a secret. But they are tricksters by nature, and they tend to scare and spy on human beings. It is said that one can be a rokurokubi without knowing their own nature, believing themselves to be human beings, and only transform at night while sleeping unconsciously, remembering that in their dreams they saw the room or other places at a strange angle."
Some other rokurokubi illustrations.
Yōkai II: .Aonyōbō.
"Covered in many kimonos of older eras, that are now tattered and moth-ridden, she wears the white face of ancient courtiers who have high-painted eyebrows and black teeth. Legend has it that they are court ladies who serve noble families until they are married off to a worthy suitor. The Aonyōbō inhabit abandoned houses, formerly occupied by fallen nobles and ruined families, where they are constantly applying their makeup, fixing their hair, and adjusting their image for the arrival of possible guests who never show up like a lover who lost their interest or a husband who abandoned his wife. If any trespassers arrive, the Aonyōbō will devour them and vainly wait until the next person shows up."
Yōkai III: .Abura-Sumashi.
"This spirit, which surprises people on the Kusazumigoe mountain pass, is thought to be the ghost of a human who stole oil. In the days before electricity, oil was a very valuable commodity, necessary for lighting and heating a house. As such, the theft of oil, particularly from temples and shrines, could lead to punishment via reincarnation as a yokai."
Hope you enjoyed it!
Original illustrations from Bakemono Zukushi Yokai scroll from the 1700's & Shigeru Mizuki's Abura-Sumashi art work from the early 1900's.
