Yōkai
Yōkai (妖怪) are a class of mystical spirits and entities in Japanese folklore.[1] They are usually seen as ghosts, revenants, and demons that inhabit liminal space, places of passage that exist between the visible or invisible worlds. In the past, they are inspired by fear or anxiety, but in the present, it is a general word to label abnormal or supernatural beings.[2]
History[edit | edit source]
In 1582, the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke met with monk-turned demon hunter Mamushi, who was fed up with the locals' claims about yōkai plaguing their society. The pair offered to help and left to check on these claims. From their investigation, they debunked all the claims and traveled back to Nyoiji Daiji Temple to inform Mamushi. Upon their arrival, they felt a cold chill when entering the temple and found Mamushi dead with a woman standing over him. Recognizing her as one of the survivors from their investigation, they soon saw their true form as an "Ao Andon". The yōkai soon forced them out of the temple and engaged them in a fight. Fortunately, the pair bested and defeated the demon, whose form dissipated upon their defeat.[3]
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Within the same year, fishermen from Akashi in Harima discovered a strange stone buried below a tree. However, this stone was apparently the gateway to another realm where the entire population was "transported" and slaughtered by its sole inhabitant, an oni held to be the samurai Kazan Yamaoka's raging restless soul after peasants killed him for murdering his own father. One of its victims was a Kakushiba ikki scout, whose mysterious disappearance prompted Naoe and Yasuke to investigate the matter.[4] Upon finding and touching the stone, Naoe and Yasuke were also "transferred" to the oni's realm, where they came across notes left by the dead scout explaining how to escape and defeat the oni.[5] Successfully, Naoe and Yasuke escaped but saw that the oni had followed in pursuit, though it had lost its invulnerability, allowing the pair to fight it. Following its defeat, the oni returned to its realm and its "curse" over Akashi ended, leaving behind only the inert stone. Naoe and Yasuke took it to their hideout, while they remained puzzled over this strange event.[6] |
Known yōkai[edit | edit source]
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Ao Andon
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows (first appearance)
- Featured Events (non-canon)
References[edit | edit source]