ENGLISH-JAPANESE CULTURE1
Introduction
The cultural patterns of Japan has changed significantly over the millennia, from nation’s
prehistoric Jomon period and further ranging to modern cultural patterns. Bainbridge (2014) has
noted that these cultural patterns tend to absorb influences from Asia, Europe and North
America. Yokai are identified as a section of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in
Japanese folklore. According to Inaba (2015), the term ‘yokai’ is comprised of kanji for
bewitching, attractive, misfortune, ambiguity and apprehensive. Comprehensive studies of
Suzuki (2019) have noted that Yokai typically possess animal attributes primarily based on
kappa which draws similarity to turtle or tengu which has wings, yet others appear significantly
human. The word “Yokai’ is an amalgamation of the characters 妖 (yō) which means
attractive, bewitching, misfortune and the other hand the word 怪 (kai) relates to anonymity
and wonder. As per the studies of Bainbridge (2014), Japanese folk tales is regarded as a
combination of diverse ethnicities and cultural patterns with a significant base in the folk beliefs
of secluded tribal populaces living on the areas of Japanese islands. These customs have been
customized by Shinto and afterward by Buddhism thus integrating components derived from
Chinese as well as Indian folklore. The following research paper will evaluate the cultural
patterns by shedding lights on their traditions, festivals and beliefs.
Discussion
Yokai’s Origin
The Edo period ranged from 1603 to 1868 had experienced exceptional and unmatched
booming of art, music, and literature in Japan. Jensen, Ishii and Swift (2016) have noted that

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Yokai: Japanese Folklore and Cultural Patterns

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