After falling in battle, the leader of the Mononobe clan assumed the ghostly form of a woodpecker and sought revenge on his former rivals by pecking at their wooden temples – until, that is, he was chased away by a magical

Late at night, you may hear mysterious creaks and groans, pops and knocks and people will tell you “It’s just the house settling.”. Nonsense! It’s likely Yanari, tiny demons that live beneath your floorboards, venturing out after dark to cause noisy mischief.

At first glance, the Mikoshi Nyudo looks like your typical solitary monk out for a night time stroll. But draw closer and his neck will extend to grotesque lengths, causing you to fall over in your startled state, thereby allowing him to feast on your windpipe.

The Kyokotsu is the vengeful spirit of a murder victim whose bones were tossed down a well. There it dwells in relative unease until someone is foolish enough to disturb its remains.

What at first you may dismiss as a 35 foot piece of cloth swept up by the wind could actually be the yokai known as the Ittan Momen. How to tell the difference? Well, if it wraps itself around you and either crushes your skull or smothers you to death, it’s probably the latter.