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Japan’s most terrifying ghouls, monsters and demons come out to frighten the public on a street believed to border the spirit world.

There’s a rich custom of folklore and storytelling relating to “yokai” in Japan. These quintessentially Japanese ghosts, spirits, and demons appear in tales that have been sending shivers up the spines of locals for centuries, and in one area of Kyoto they’re believed to be so common a parade is held every year to stop them from wreaking havoc on the town.

「…見てる？」

#一条百鬼夜行
#NikonD7000 https://t.co/cSkZwPoIbl

—
RYOTA (@RYOTA_123photo) October 19, 2019

Called Hyakki Yagyo, or “Night Parade of 100 Demons“, this festival takes place in northern Kyoto at the Taishogun Shopping Street, which is also known as “Ichijo Yokai Street”. The street is so-called as it’s believed to be the boundary line between the human world and the spirit world, and legend has it that a Hyakki Yagyo with real yokai occurred here during the Heian Period (794-1185), when residents abandoned old antiques on the side of the road after a big cleanup. 

It’s said that these old antiques were angry at their humans for abandoning them, transforming into yokai spirits to seek revenge on people in the middle of the night.

妖怪だって雨宿りするんだ

#一条百鬼夜行
#モノノケ市 https://t.co/Zg5sa6qMFk

—
ならさん/10/26三条会商店街ハロパ悪役連合 (@NkzyRnrmtC) October 19, 2019

Now, the Hyakki Yagyo is recreated every year on the third Saturday of October, making it perfectly timed for the Halloween season. And while it’s not officially a Halloween event, it has all the ghouls, ghosts, and devils you’d expect to see at this time of the year, only with next-level costumes and characters that bring the original 100 yokai back to life..

▼ These yokai all make an appearance at the parade.

@kahiya @mqube015 まさに『#古今妖怪纍纍』だね。。
amzn.to/2MWReRT

#湯本豪一コレクション
#一条百鬼夜行
#三次もののけミュージアム https://t.co/aP78m59kxc

—
しょぼろ納豆 (@ntrNeto) October 20, 2019

This year’s parade drew crowds of tourists to the area when it was held on Saturday, and this video, filmed by Twitter user @kahiya, went viral following the event.

百鬼夜行が想像以上に怖すぎた(°Д°)(°Д°)(°Д°)
クオリティ高すぎぃ！(*´Д`)

#一条百鬼夜行 https://t.co/MjsqyoJSyU

—
ありさ丸 (@kahiya) October 19, 2019

The clip above shows some of the best characters from the parade, including shapeshifting animals like frogs, foxes and cats.

「貴様らもこっちへ来んか？」

撮影 はっしーさん【@HIROSHI_HUSSEY 】
#一条百鬼夜行
#お面のかしま屋 https://t.co/FzOEG4qO3Q

—
鬼平太 (@kiheita_fox) October 22, 2019

#一条百鬼夜行
ならさんに撮っていただいたよー！！妖狐一年めの野弧でーす！

慌てすぎてたから、耳ボッサボサのままだった…あああ…前髪で左眉が隠れてるし、これだから修行の足りない野弧ときたら、全く…いつかは私も九尾になって、最終… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
REINA@一条百鬼夜行参列 (@CRAZY_REINA) October 21, 2019

@shinpo_yuk お待たせしました。見てみましたが1枚しかありませんでした…TT 大分明るい場所のようで他の写真と少し雰囲気も異なりますが、よろしければどうぞ！ https://t.co/PH2cYIR8IW

—
Keiichiro Yasugi / 矢杉佳一郎 (@KeiichiroYASUGI) October 20, 2019

▼ There were also skeletons…

超絶カッコいい！！！！！
#一条百鬼夜行 https://t.co/YBjpq3IyxS

—
残骸古王 (@adarapata304) October 20, 2019

▼ She-Devils…

「日本のハロウィンはこれでいいのでは？」
百鬼夜行が想像以上に怖すぎた(°Д°)(°Д°)(°Д°)クオリティ高すぎぃ！(*´Д`)#一条百鬼夜行… albina.wpblog.jp/?p=18213 https://t.co/qqX1ebTIbt

—
笑いの壺 (@shimanabi) October 20, 2019

▼ And long-necked demons that stood out above the crowd…

京都の一条百鬼夜行に参加してきました。@shinpo_yuk さんの作った妖怪たちが勢揃い。僕はろくろ首やらしてもらいました。楽しかった〜！
#一条百鬼夜行 https://t.co/de1sJYny7a

—
梅山晃佑／肝虫 (@kimomushi) October 20, 2019

▼ The yokai parade looked eerie as it passed by in the shadows.

素敵な御召し物の妖怪さまが多くて眼福(後半)

#一条百鬼夜行 https://t.co/3LkK35woMK

—
いろは@着道楽 (@sai_coordinate) October 19, 2019

The characters moved with such unique gaits that videos of the event made it look like they really had crossed over from the spirit world.

私もそのうち妖怪になって参加したい！
#一条百鬼夜行
#モノノケ市 https://t.co/Cod5kqJtK0

—
パピコ@ユニバ大好き (@puppychan_dayo) October 19, 2019

However, behind the masks are actually students from Saga Art College, who create the costumes and promote yokai events like these in the area.

雨も止み、今年も妖怪たちに会えた！
#一条百鬼夜行
#モノノケ市 https://t.co/JSJB8KvMLR

—
パピコ@ユニバ大好き (@puppychan_dayo) October 19, 2019

There were a number of comments from spectators saying the yokai looked so real that children could be seen crying in fear at the event. Not all children were afraid of the monsters, though, as one child was brave enough to pose for a happy snap with a kappa.

▼ Doesn’t this child know that kappa love to suck the souls of humans out of their anuses?

「ハイッ！！チーズ！」

#一条百鬼夜行
#NikonD7000 https://t.co/TcuciQth9L

—
RYOTA (@RYOTA_123photo) October 19, 2019

The horde of supernatural creatures returned from where they came at the end of the evening, and hopefully their night out on the town keeps them satisfied for the rest of the year until their next scheduled appearance on 17 October 2020.

ちなみに来年2020年の #一条百鬼夜行 & #モノノケ市 は、10/17(土)の予定です。
また来年もよろしくお願いします。 https://t.co/EFUHTntwWK

—
コウノ＠京都の妖怪 (@kouno0521) October 19, 2019

Until then, we’ll be catching up with their ghoulish brethren on Kyoto’s Yokai Train during Obon, Japan’s traditional holiday dedicated to the spirit world. And we’ll be keeping an eye out for them at Shibuya during Halloween, to make sure they behave themselves and stay sober to avoid the chaos that occurred there last year.

Festival Information
Hyakki Yagyo / 百鬼夜行
Address: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Kamigyo-ku, Ichijo Street
京都府京都市上京区一条通
Times: Annually on the third Saturday of October, from 6-7 p.m.
Website

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Twitter/@kahiya
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Source: SORA NEWS24