Culture Yokai During the Edo period (1603-1868), Japanese culture and art experienced an unprecedented boom. Stories of ghosts, monsters and strange phenomena from all over the archipelago have become very popular. The very first bestiaries were created by artists like Toriyama Sekien. The latter collected the myths and oral histories of rural Japan for the enjoyment of the Japanese worldly population. Sekien yōkai's encyclopedias paved the way for other artists, and a new tradition was born. It quickly spread to all aspects of Japanese culture, from fine arts to Japanese theater (Theater No)!

However, the attraction to the mysteries of the Yōkai lost popularity during the Meiji Restoration. Japan wanted to modernize its society and culture. They have been catalogued as remnants of a superstitious and embarrassing past.