Yokai Attack! - by Hiroko Yoda & Matt Alt (Paperback)

About the Book

This entertaining, informative guide to traditional Japanese monsters--who are the ancestors of many of the characters found in today's manga, anime and J-horror flicks--features original illustrations and an at-a-glance data sheet for each yokai.Kodansha International

Book Synopsis

Yokai Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional monsters and creepy-crawlies.

Yokai are ethereal sorts of beings, like ghosts, nearly always encountered at night; everyone has their own take on how they might look in real life and what sorts of specific characteristics and abilities they might have. This book is the result of long hours spent poring over data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including microfilms of eighteenth-century illustrations from the National Diet Library in Tokyo, in order to bring you detailed information on almost 50 of these amazing creatures for the first time in English.

Illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential appearance of each yokai. Alongside each illustration is a series of "data points," with each yokai's significant features at a glance--especially handy for any potential close encounters.

Yokai Attack! will surely convince you that Japan's tradition of fascinating monsters is a long one--yet far from being history.
Book 1 of 3 in the Yokai Attack! series. Others include Ninja Attack! and Yurei Attack!.

Review Quotes

"If you thought Lafcadio Hearn's books In Ghostly Japan and Kwaidan were creepy, this guide to the dark, supernatural forces that ooze from folk tales, superstition and local hearsay will produce an icy fissure through your spine." --The Japan Times

"This yokai guidebook describes four dozen of the best-known specimens, with basic facts, historical notes, trivia, and information on what to do if one attacks you. It's heavily illustrated, and the writing is lighthearted and filled with odd facts, making it a fun read and a useful reference book." --School Library Journal

"Yokai Attack! is essential reading for any fan of monsters, horror and manga!" --Steve Niles, Creator, 30 Days of Night

"An invaluable resource for anyone interested in J-Horror and Japanese culture; gave me a deeper understanding of what I've been enjoying for so many years." --Don Coscarelli, Director, Phantasm Series and Bubba Ho-Tep

"I'd recommend the book to anyone interested in Japan. Even if you're not a monster fan, there's a lot of Japanese culture and history there. Japan's monsters are the perfect portal to understanding the culture that made them." --Introvert Japan blog

"The guide is a compendium of the wildest, weirdest, and nastiest creatures that Japan has to offer. [...] Written in lively and accessible prose, Yokai Attack! is an easy read. This is no scholarly treatise on Yokai folklore, nor does it try to be. Beautiful illustrations based on the sometimes highly variable folkloric descriptions grace every entry, along with photos of various Yokai paraphernalia including toys, and copies of images from 18th-century Japanese folkloric texts. [...] Overall, Yokai Attack! is an entertaining and informative read." --Japan Powered blog

"The wonderful book is perfect for anyone interested in monsters, Japanese culture, or folktales (especially Japanese ones). I'm interested in all of those...so I like this book a lot!" --Tokyo Five blog

"This Halloween season, you may want to familiarize yourself with the different monsters of Japan. ... With the help of Yokai Attack!, you will surely stand out among others." --Otaku Asia blog

About the Author

Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda are a husband and wife team who run a Tokyo-based translation company that specializes in producing the English versions of Japanese video games, comic books, and literature. They are the co-authors of Ninja Attack! and Yurei Attack!, both originally published by Kodansha International and with new expanded editions from Tuttle Publishing.