Calling all monster hunters: I penned this Freaky Field Guide to Tokyo's Top 10 Mythical Beasts, which features lavish color illustrations by the talented Chip Boles.
Rather than yokai, it focuses on legendary animals -- the sorts of things you're likely to see adorning shrines and temples, or described in the pages of ancient scholarly texts. Ever wonder what that cavalcade of creatures sculpted around the roof of your local Buddhist temple is all about? Now's your chance to find out.
From favorites like the Beckoning Cat and the Kirin to more obscure specimens like Gama Sennin's three-legged toad, it's a complete guide for creature watching in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. (For reals! There are even instructions for where to find them.)
Very cool Matt, I actually got 2 great photos of the Komainu when I went to Tokyo last summer. Heres my link if you care to see.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unit78/4855725654/in/set-72157624642018842/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unit78/4855723502/in/set-72157624642018842/
Posted by: Will | September 05, 2011 at 01:33 PM
Nice shots! Thanks for sharing. There happen to be some really interesting paintings of Kirin on the shrine building, too.
Posted by: MattAlt | September 05, 2011 at 02:07 PM