Ride of the Yokai

Yōkai (妖怪?, ghost) are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "mysterious" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them. The ones I included in this piece are from left to right--2 kitsune (fox critters that are luck bringers and sneaky buggers), one with 9 tails; a foo lion (yep they're Chinese but I love em); a Japanese Phoenix (which looks a bit snow goose like); an Eastern dragon (my first!); and a kirin or qilin. My hidden yokai are in the bottom right under the legs of the horse and kirin--2 lucky Japanese cats (one with his left paw raised and a lucky coin around his neck) and a baku (a small elephant like creature that could suck our your nightmares). I hope you like my newest piece, she was sooo much fun to research and I'm really into Eastern Culture now...I can't wait to try painting more yokai!"