Yōkai as important factor of formation of Japanese culture: the historical aspect
The paper deals with fact that throughout the history of humanity, representatives of all nations have shaped mysterious and unknown phenomena into monsters and spirits as a way of giving sense and meaning for their own experiences. Specific shapes of such monsters and spirits aren't seen as universal, because they gain their own uniqueness, in context of cultures in which they appear, evolving and changing with desires and challenges of people through particular historical periods. Taking his cues from Japan, author shows the yōkai in the process of cultural development, pointing out the major transitions in the evolution of this phenomenon, which still hasn't lost its significance in the contemporary Japanese culture.