Previous   Next
Home » Images » 0016 Pictures From History » CPA0007582

Japan: 'Hyakki Yako', 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons', detail from a scroll, 19th century.

Japan: 'Hyakki Yako', 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons', detail from a scroll, 19th century.

Hyakki Yakō ('Night Parade of One Hundred Demons') is a Japanese folk belief. The belief holds that every year yōkai, the Japanese supernatural beings, will take to the streets during summer nights. Anyone who comes across the procession will die, unless protected by some Buddhist sutra. It is a popular theme in Japanese visual art.

Quick links to other images in this gallery: