The evenings are getting cooler and ghostly lights are flickering in neighbourhood houses everywhere…can we offer you a serve of Japanese monsters and spirits (“yōkai”) alongside your Halloween candy?
ASIA 346 focuses on yōkai in Edo period (1600-1868) popular culture, including ghost stories, illustrations, and plays.
Background will be provided through readings from earlier periods. The representation of the supernatural will be contextualized through secondary readings on the historical, social, and religious environments. We will also explore the popularity of “transformed creatures” (bake-mono) in the period and examine the functions they fulfilled.
Any questions regarding the course can be directed to instructor Joshua Mostow.
