Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai [Paperback]

Michael Dylan Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2008

Water sprites, mountain goblins, shape-shifting animals, and the monsters known as yôkai have long haunted the Japanese cultural landscape. This history of the strange and mysterious in Japan seeks out these creatures in folklore, encyclopedias, literature, art, science, games, manga, magazines, and movies, exploring their meanings in the Japanese cultural imagination and offering an abundance of valuable and, until now, understudied material. Michael Dylan Foster tracks yôkai over three centuries, from their appearance in seventeenth-century natural histories to their starring role in twentieth-century popular media. Focusing on the intertwining of belief and commodification, fear and pleasure, horror and humor, he illuminates different conceptions of the "natural" and the "ordinary" and sheds light on broader social and historical paradigms--and ultimately on the construction of Japan as a nation.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"At once playful and profound, scholarly and scintillating, Pandemonium and Parade not only records but also enacts the uncanny presence of yokai in Japanese history. Seen through the lens of yokai, this book richly considers how the passing of time evokes both awe and anxiety."--Anne Allison, author of Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination

About the Author

Michael Dylan Foster is Assistant Professor of Folklore and East Asian Cultures at Indiana University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (November 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520253620
• ISBN-13: 978-0520253629
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Academic, erudite and immensely readable, October 7, 2009

By 

Clayton E. Holden "Kappa-Joe" (Aptos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai (Paperback)

If Michael Dylan Foster's book reads much like a Doctoral dissertation, it is because it is based on his 2003 Doctoral dissertation: "Morphologies of Mystery: Yôkai and Discourses of the Supernatural in Japan, 1666-1999". That noted, "Pandemonium and Parade" is in no way a watered-down version of its parent text. It includes further research conducted over the following seven years, along with a generous sampling of illustrations, both historical and current.

In addition to being an erudite and meticulously researched history of the yôkai phenomenon in Japan, Dr. Foster is an excellent and engaging writer, who successfully conveys a deep love for his subject matter, while exploring in depth the cultural, psychological and fantastical elements of both the historical and present-day fascination these outlandish supernatural but all too earthly spirits hold over the consciousness of both the Japanese and students of folklore worldwide.

Dr. Foster's original Doctoral thesis has accompanied me on two visits to Japan; since its release, "Pandemonium and Parade" has been my companion on yet another, and is a volume I keep at close hand here at home, both for reference and for enjoyment of his literary style.

Anyone with an interest in yôkai will find this a richly rewarding addition to their library, I cannot think of a finer work in English on the subject.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Academic Yet Excellent, July 6, 2009

By 

R. M. Burns "Bibliomaniac" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai (Paperback)

Pandemonium and Parade is not an easy read. The author's highly academic approach to his subject matter makes this book often read like a dressed-up doctoral dissertation.

That said, there is a wealth of information regarding (for lack of a better term) the supernatural in Japanese culture, and the multi-disciplinary approach really expands the subject's overall context.

I can't help wishing, however, that the book had a somewhat more comprehensive index and perhaps a glossary of terms (I know the field of yokai fairly well and still found many new terms I had either not encountered before, or had found in very different context). I also wish Japanese terms were introduced with their kanji renderings, which can be so highly informative in understanding some of the nuance of the vocabulary.

If you are looking for a good introduction to yokia and the supernatural in Japan, you are probably better off with F. Hadland Davis or Royall Tyler. But, if you know the subject reasonably well, this book will really expand and deepen both your knowledge of Japanese monster-ology, and your appreciation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for teaching, November 21, 2009

By 

SK (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai (Paperback)

While the language used in this book is "academic" (out of necessity for sure), this wonderful book is still readable, informative, and entertaining. Those students who enroll in Japanese history and culture courses are mostly interested in anime and manga. It is important to teach them how these monsters/ghosts in anime and manga can be situated in specific historical and cultural contexts. Professor Foster's book is very useful for teaching, especially undergraduate courses. I highly recommend it.