Introduction to Yokai Studies and On Kokkuri

Description

"Many people believe that there are certain things that transcend reason - things that exist beyond human knowledge and cannot be understood using it. In other words, they are extra-logical. However, extra-logical does not necessarily mean unknowable." Clairvoyance. Possessions. Mind-reading. Dream projection. Encounters with demons and divinities. This ebook contains translations of two key essays by the Japanese scholar, philosopher, and "ghostbuster" Enryo Inoue (1858 - 1919). The first is the 1891 "Introduction to Yokai Studies," which gives an overview to the academic field he founded to debunk urban legends and rural superstitions. The second lets readers see Inoue putting his analytical techniques to work on an actual case: "On Kokkuri," his investigation of a Japanese fad derived from the then-popular American Spiritualist pastime of table turning séances. Inoue’s prolific efforts to tackle the hows and whys of the supernatural proved hugely influential in late 19th and early 20th century Japan, but only snippets have ever been translated into English. These two selections represent a quick overview of how Inoue categorized and analyzed mysterious phenomena.