Zack Davisson

An in-depth exploration of the sometimes charming, sometimes gruesome feline creatures and ghosts of Japan. Davisson illuminates the vast realm of kaibyō, or supernatural cats, with historical and modern cultural context. Lushly illustrated in full color with dozens of ukiyo-e prints and drawings. A must-have book for the Japanophile and cat-lover alike! First in a forthcoming series about the supernatural animals of Japan. "Kaibyō: The Supernatural Cats of Japan is an extremely diverting and stunningly produced celebration of the phantom feline in its myriad of manifestations--some alluring, others humorous and many outright terrifying. Award-winning translator, writer, lecturer, manga scholar, Japanese folklore expert and author ofYūrei: The Japanese Ghost, Zach Davisson is the ideal guide to this furred and fanged underworld. An expertly researched and engagingly penned text is embellished by the inclusion of an intriguing selection of uncanny cat tales by other authors and centuries' old legends newly-translated by Mr. Davisson. The publishers must be congratulated for creating a book of extraordinary lavishness. Although a paperback release, no expense has been spared in an exquisitely-designed book brimming with a toothsome array of full-color artwork reproductions." review by Scot D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino, co-authors ofInfinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati andThe Marchesa Casati: Portraits of a Muse Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and scholar of Japanese folklore and ghosts. He is the author ofYūrei: The Japanese Ghost (Chin Music Press), translator of Eisner Award-winning and Harvey-nominated Shigeru Mizuki'sShowa 1926-1939: A History of Japan, and a 2014 nominee of the Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize. Other translation works include the famous folklore comic Kitaro (Drawn and Quarterly) and the works of Satoshi Kon (Dark Horse).

The Supernatural Cats of Japan

An eerie yet insightful exploration into the phenomenon of yurei, or Japanese ghosts, both past and present.

The Japanese Ghost

Yurei

In Japan, it is said that there are 8 million kami. These spirits encompass every kind of supernatural creature; from malign to monstrous, demonic to divine, and everything in between. Most of them seem strange and scary--even evil--from a human perspective. They are known by myriad names: bakemono, chimimoryo, mamono, mononoke, obake, oni, and yokai.Yokai live in a world that parallels our own. Their lives resemble ours in many ways. They have societies and rivalries. They eat, sing, dance, play, fight, compete, and even wage war. Normally, we keep to our world and they keep to theirs. However, there are times and places where the boundaries between the worlds thin, and crossing over is possible.The twilight hour--the border between daylight and darkness--is when the boundary between worlds is at its thinnest. Twilight is the easiest time for yokai to cross into this world, or for humans to accidentally cross into theirs. Our world is still awake and active, but the world of the supernatural is beginning to stir. Superstition tells people to return to their villages and stay inside when the sun sets in order to avoid running into demons. This is why in Japanese the twilight hour is called omagatoki: "the hour of meeting evil spirits."This encyclopedia contains over 125 illustrated entries detailing the monsters of Japanese folklore and the myths and magic surrounding them.This book was first funded on Kickstarter in 2013.

An Enyclopedia of Monsters and Magic

The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits

A Bestiary of Japanese Monsters

The Book of the Hakutaku

Shigeru Mizuki

A History of Japan

Showa 1944-1953

An illustrated collection of sixteen original short stories introducing various yokai, or Japanese monsters.

Yokai Stories

An expertly crafted, full-color, oversized volume showcasing the creative forces behind the hotly anticipated animated anthology series! Star Wars: Visions, an original series of animated short films, celebrates the Star Wars galaxy through the lens of the world’s best Japanese anime creators. Coming in 2021 to Disney+. Dark Horse Books and Lucasfilm invite fans to enjoy the universe of Star Wars from a thrilling new point of view with The Art of Star Wars: Visions.

The Art of Star Wars: Visions

Woodblock prints, essays, and translations scratch to light the secret lives of Japan's mythological felines.

Zack Davisson

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