Yokai Bestiary: A Compendium of Japanese Supernatural Animals

by Zack Davisson

Yokai Bestiary is an illustrated compendium of the beastly ghosts and supernatural animals that stalk the folklore of Japan. Tales of their often humorous antics as well as the horror they wreak on humanity are recounted by folklorist Zack Davisson and gorgeously illustrated with twenty original woodcut prints by Liv Rainey-Smith. Rainey-Smith uses traditional Japanese artist's representations as her inspiration, but interprets the creatures anew, in her own masterful woodcut style. This beautiful book presents ancient art and folklore as seen through a modern, yet historically informed, artist's lens. A gorgeous art book that will appeal to anyone interested in luscious art books, traditional woodcut art, supernatural animals and Japanese folklore.

104 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 30, 2025

About the author

Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and folklorist. He is the author of YUREI: THE JAPANESE GHOST, YOKAI STORIES, and KAIBYO: THE SUPERNATURAL CATS OF JAPAN, and the translator and curator of Shigeru Mizuki’s famous folklore comic KITARO, Matsumoto Leiji’s CAPTAIN HARLOCK, and Go Nagai’s DEVILMAN.

Davisson lectured on translation, manga, and folklore at Duke University, UCLA, University of Washington, Denison University, as well as contributed to exhibitions at the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam and Henry Art Museum. He has been featured on NPR, BBC, and The New York Times, and has written articles for Metropolis, The Comics Journal, and Weird Tales Magazine.

As a manga translator, Davisson was nominated for the 2014 Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize for his translation of the multiple Eisner Award-winning SHOWA: A HISTORY OF JAPAN. Other acclaimed translations include Satoshi Kon’s OPUS and THE ART OF SATOSHI KON, Mamoru Oshii’s SERAPHIM: 266613336 WINGS, Leiji Matsumoto’s QUEEN EMERALDAS, Kazuhiro Fujita’s THE GHOST AND THE LADY, Go Nagai’s CUTIE HONEY, and Gou Tanabe’s Eisner Award-nominated HP LOVECRAFT’S THE HOUND AND OTHER TALES.

He lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Miyuki, a dog, two cats, and several ghosts.