Illustration of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons
Early Modern Period
Author: Unknown

This is an illustrated scroll entitled “Illustration of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.”

The “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” is the nighttime procession of demons (yōkai) gamboling within the darkness. This “Night Parade” appears in Heian (794~1185) folk story collections including Uji Shūi Monogatari and Konjaku monogatari. According to folk beliefs, if a person encountered the “Night Parade” they would be killed. The first known illustrated scroll of the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” is from the Muromachi period (1337~1573) and is held by the Pearl Hermitage (Shinju-an) collection of Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto. Numerous other versions exist around Japan.

The illustrated scroll features three types of demons. The first are demons like the Ōnyūdō (big monk), the Hitotsume-kozō (bald child with one large eye) and the Hannya (jealous female demon). The second type, called “Tsukumogami” (tool gods) includes the Tsurigane (hanging bell demon), Chōchin (Japanese paper lantern), or other family heirlooms lovingly passed down for hundreds of years. The third type of demon includes foxes, monkeys, snakes and other animals. The artist truly let his imagination run wild while conceiving of all these demons and countless creatures fill the 9.5 meter long scroll.

At present, we know nothing about the author of this work. However, because it was created using freshly imported western art supplies and because of the way the feet and hands are drawn, it is believed to have been created after the beginning of the Early Modern Period. The way that the demons are drawn vividly and humorously shows that the demons themselves had already lost the impression of being scary. Depicted at the very end of this parade are gods bearing arms who completely batter and beat the demons.