War and monsters

August 15th is Victory over Japan Day. 75 years ago, on August 15th, 1945, Japan lost the Second World War and its surrender was announced nationwide by the Emperor's radio broadcast, marking the end of the war for Japan.

Yokai may seem like they have nothing to do with the human activity of war, but since yokai are closely related to human life, war and yokai are actually not unrelated.

Shigeru Mizuki's war and ghost experiences

One famous episode is about a monster that Shigeru Mizuki encountered in Rabaul on the southern front.

One day, while Mizuki was wandering alone in a pitch black jungle, he suddenly came up against a huge rock-like wall, blocking his way. He collapsed and fell asleep, exhausted.

A few hours later, when it got light all around, he woke up to find that the large rock-like wall that was supposed to have been there was nowhere to be found, and instead what he saw before him was a sheer cliff lining down into the sea.

Looking back on that time, he says that if he had not hit the wall and had continued walking forward, he would have fallen off the cliff into the sea and died.

Mizuki-sensei said, "Painted wall" He said he was helped by this.

In Papua New Guinea, the sounds of cutting trees and large trees falling in the mountains can be heard.Tengu-defeating"The spirits of the dead turn white and swim in the night sea."Shirami YurenIt is said that there were various monsters such as

It is said that "the city's electricity eliminates the darkness and drives away the monsters," but in contrast, in Papua New Guinea, where complete darkness still exists at night, spirits and monsters are likely to be close at hand.

"In This Corner of the World" as a monster movie

Also, as was broadcast on TV the other day, the movie "In This Corner of the World" also features yokai.

"In This Corner of the World" is an anime film directed by Sunao Katabuchi based on the original manga by Fumiyo Kono, and tells the story of the lives of ordinary people during wartime. A different version (longer version) of "In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World" with new scenes was released in December 2019.

Folklorist Akihiro Hatanaka has said that In This Corner of the World is "an excellent yokai film."

"'In This Corner of the World' is an excellent 'ghost' movie! This is what a folklorist thought about it."

https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/50266

As mentioned in the article above, in "In This Corner of the World"demon,Zashiki-warashiSuch monsters appear.

This work (manga) was created between 2007 and 2009, but people's lives and yokai are inseparable.

It can be said that yokai also play a role in passing on war experiences.

With Hong Kong being swallowed up by China and the US-China conflict deepening, the future of the world situation remains uncertain, but the words of those who have experienced the war, such as Shigeru Mizuki, carry weight.

This year, we experienced the unexpected event of an epidemic. Although I don't think war will occur in this era, the unexpected could happen.

In order not to let the feelings of the monsters and heroes go to waste, I want to constantly think about how we can ensure that the world remains peaceful.

Text by Keijiro Watanabe

■ Keishiro Watanabe (Kei-chan)

Born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Graduated from the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University. An independent researcher of yokai. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Project Management Professional (PMP).

He currently works as a management and IT consultant, residing in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and traveling throughout the prefecture and Tokyo. However, he studied folklore and cultural anthropology at university, and continues to research yokai as his life's work.

I am currently writing articles about monsters associated with Hokkaido, where I currently live, as well as current news about business and economics.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keishiro_w

Blog: http://blog.livedoor.jp/meda3594/