Manga Yokai Stories: Ghostly Tales from Japan

by Lafcadio Hearn, Inko Ai Takita (Illustrator)

This thrilling collection of seven Japanese ghost stories will captivate lovers of yokai stories!

These classic Japanese ghost stories are based on those written by famed author Lafcadio Hearn between 1890 and 1904. Here, they are retold by award-winning comic book writer Sean Michael Wilson, who has garnered a worldwide fan base for his manga adaptations of works of Japanese literature, including such classics as The Book of Five Rings and The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts .

Manga Yokai Stories
Wilson's skillful adaptation of Hearn's ghostly tales--along with superb manga illustrations from UK-based Japanese artist Inko Ai Takita--make these fascinating stories come to life.

This book is in traditional Japanese reading order--from back to front--so that fans and manga lovers can enjoy an authentic reading experience.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Graphic Novels, Short Stories, Comics, Japan, Ghosts

133 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2020

About the author

Greek-born American writer Lafcadio Hearn spent 15 years in Japan; people note his collections of stories and essays, including Kokoro (1896), under pen name Koizumi Yakumo.

Rosa Cassimati (Ρόζα Αντωνίου Κασιμάτη in Greek), a Greek woman, bore Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (Πατρίκιος Λευκάδιος Χερν in Greek or 小泉八雲 in Japanese), a son, to Charles Hearn, an army doctor from Ireland. After making remarkable works in America as a journalist, he went to Japan in 1890 as a journey report writer of a magazine. He arrived in Yokohama, but because of a dissatisfaction with the contract, he quickly quit the job. He afterward moved to Matsué as an English teacher of Shimané prefectural middle school. In Matsué, he got acquainted with Nishida Sentarô, a colleague teacher and his lifelong friend, and married Koizumi Setsu, a daughter of a samurai.
In 1891, he moved to Kumamoto and taught at the fifth high school for three years. Kanô Jigorô, the president of the school of that time, spread judo to the world.

Hearn worked as a journalist in Kôbé and afterward in 1896 got Japanese citizenship and a new name, Koizumi Yakumo. He took this name from "Kojiki," a Japanese ancient myth, which roughly translates as "the place where the clouds are born". On that year, he moved to Tôkyô and began to teach at the Imperial University of Tôkyô. He got respect of students, many of whom made a remarkable literary career. In addition, he wrote much reports of Japan and published in America. So many people read his works as an introduction of Japan. He quit the Imperial University in 1903 and began to teach at Waseda University on the year next. Nevertheless, after only a half year, he died of angina pectoris.

Reviews

[Gerardine Betancourt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of stories by the writer Lafcadio Hearn were inspired by old books and things he heard from people on the streets while he was living in Japan.
the manga includes the following stories:
*A dead secret
*The screen maiden
*Nuke- Kubi
* The corpse rider
*Riki-Baka
*Before the supreme court
* Reconciliation - MY FAVORITE ONE
Each story is very unique and makes the reader feel from fear, sadness, and even happiness for some of the characters.
Overall this retold by Sean Michael Wilson makes the experience of reading this manga very easy and enjoyable.
4.5 stars
This manga comes out on September 15, 2020
The arc of this book was provided by Tuttle Publishing via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of creepy folktales originally collected by Lafcadio Hearn; many will be familiar from past adaptations in various formats (print, film, etc.). A good choice for folktale enthusiasts and an excellent choice for graphic novel/manga readers who want horror but aren't quite ready for Junji Ito.

[Yaroslav Chernovol · Rating 3 out of 5]

«Оповідки про Йокаїв» - збірка історій записаних Лафкадіо Герном приблизно у 1900 році, адаптована Шоном Майклом Вілсоном та ілюстрована Інко Ай Такіто.

Непогана збірка історій про йокаїв десь з періоду Едо. Містить 7 історій, такі як:
• Секрет мерця. Історія про дух померлої дівчина. Яка не покидає будинок та просить монаха спалити лист до її першої любові.
• Намальована красуня. Історія про портрет жінки неймовірної краси. В яку закохується чоловік та шляхом певного ритуалу оживляє її.
• безголові демони. Оповідка про банду розбійників. що граються зі своїми жертвами.
• верхом на мерці. Історія потішного ритуалу, щоб упокоїти душу померлої
• Дурень Рікі. Історія про молодого хлопця, який помер і батьки мають пройти ритуал для його переродження.
• Вищий суд. Про переродження душі
• Мирування. Історія про те як жінка чекала чоловіка з війни.

Загалом малюнок приємний. Нічого неймовірного немає. Але для ознайомлення з фольклором Японії підійде.

Трохи зацікавила мене ця тема. Тож найближчим часом можливо будуть враження на «Оповідки селища Тоно» від Шіґеру Мідзукі

[Norma Fuentes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro demasiado lindo, hace una recopilación de historias muy antiguas, pese a que la portada pareciera aterradora en realidad contiene de todo tipo de histotias, desde las más graciosas, pasando por el misterio hasta las más cursis. Su formato manga te hipnotiza de una ya que las ilustraciones tienen una hermosura y fineza increíble, lo recomiendo demasiado.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat collection, and I really liked the artwork. The stories were originally collected in Japan by Lafcadio Hearn and his wife. I liked how different Japanese ghost stories are from the British ones I've been reading. My favorite story was the incredibly weird "Nuke-kubi."
Some of the endings are very abrupt, as if to say "And then they did this thing that solved it. The end." "Riki-Baka" ended so suddenly it made me laugh. But they were all worth reading, and there was a good variety of content in what stories were selected.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there were more stories.

[Gladimore · Rating 3 out of 5]

That last one got me a little.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always enlightening when you realize how different genres are between cultures. While it’s common for horror in the United States to have a lot of violence and gore, classic Japanese horror is more subtle and it’s not uncommon for them to feature yokai (creatures from Japanese folklore). Manga Yokai Stories: Ghostly Tales from Japan is, like the name suggests, a collection of Japanese short stories focused on yokai. The stories are based off of Japanese stories collected by Lafcadio Hearn, a man who moved to Japan in the late 1890s.

I’ve always enjoyed reading folktales and mythological stories from other countries because they are a fun way to learn more about a country's history and beliefs; this book was no different. While these stories are by no means a complete history of Japan they still gave me an inkling of what life was like for Japanese people back then. I believe I’ve read some of Lafcadio Hearn’s collected stories back in college, but I didn’t read many and I couldn’t tell you which (though I’m pretty sure I read “Nuke-kubi” which is featured in this collection because I kept on getting a strong sense of déjà vu as I was reading it). Because of this I can’t say whether this manga adaptation is true to his work, but I do feel like it would be hard to get short stories wrong.

There are seven stories total and I enjoyed every single one. Not all of them I would classify as horror. The first two stories featured are more in line with the paranormal genre than the horror genre because, while they do feature nonhuman beings, the stories themselves aren’t creepy. Only three stories felt like they were horror, and even they were pretty tame. These are more so horror stories that are meant to leave you with a sense of unease instead of full blown terror. There isn’t even a lot of disturbing imagery, the worst it gets are a few decayed or decapitated bodies.

Even though most of them did feature yokai there was one that confused me a bit as to why it was included. While I understand that yokai is a broad term that encompasses many creatures like ghosts, monsters, and gods the short story “Riki-baka” didn’t seem to feature any of these. I did enjoy the story — it was the shortest in the collection — but I just found it weird that it was included when there were probably many other stories to choose from that did have yokai.

I would say my favorites are “Before the Supreme Court” and “Reconciliation”. I enjoyed the Japanese mythology that was present in “Before the Supreme Court” and also thought the resolution was clever. I found “Reconciliation” to be the most disturbing of the bunch and I thought the ending was fantastic.

The artwork, which was done by a Japanese artist, was well done and really lent to the atmosphere of the time period. It gave me nineties manga vibes because it’s slightly more realistic in nature than a modern shoujo manga would be.

Manga Yokai Stories: Ghostly Tales from Japan is a super quick read and I recommend it to anyone who likes Japanese folktales or horror. If you’re looking to branch out from Junji Ito maybe give this manga a try.

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se trata de una colección de cuentos folclóricos japoneses recopilados por Lafcadio Hern en algunos de sus libros más famosos como Kwaidan y En el Japón espectral. Varios de los presentados aquí son de los más conocidos:
1. El secreto de la muerta.- El espectro de una joven mujer aparece todas las noches frente a su tocador. Un monje es llamado para descubrir que hay detrás de la aparición.
2. La doncella secreta.- Un joven se obsesiona al punto de la muerte con la imagen de una chica en una pintura.
3. Nuke-Kubi.- Un monje caminante se encuentra con que una familia que le ha permitido pasar la noche en su casa, son realmente un grupo de demoniacos duendes cuyas cabezas se separan sobrenaturalmente de sus cuerpos.
4. El jinete del cadáver.- Un hombre que abandonó a su mujer, pasa una noche de terror cuando tiene que —literalmente— jinetear el cuerpo de su esposa muerta para evitar una terrible maldición.
5. Riki-Baka (Riki el tonto).- Un joven con retraso mental al que todos estiman ha muerto en el bosque, pero volverá de la más extraña y bendecida manera.
6. Ante la Corte Suprema.- Una chica que no debería haber muerto es devuelta a la tierra para habitar en el cuerpo de otra chica llamada como ella.
7. Reconciliación.- Un samurái que a abandonado a su mujer vuelve a ella después de muchos años, avergonzado y arrepentido. La vuelve a encontrar, bella y hermosa en la misma casa donde vivieron y donde la abandonó por ser pobre. Este relato aparece también en la película Kwaidan de 1964.

[Lenka Příplatová · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compact yet atmospheric collection of seven classic Japanese ghost tales reimagined in manga form. The stories—sourced from Lafcadio Hearn’s early folklore compilations—are stripped down, melancholic, and rooted in moral consequence more than cheap scares. They’re not here to terrify; they offer sorrow, regret, unresolved grief, and sometimes a cold twist to human pride or flawed decisions.

The illustrations by Inko Ai Takita lean toward minimalism, but each panel captures mood brilliantly—wind‑blown rooms, empty corridors, anguished faces, and touches of emptiness. They amplify the stories without overdoing it—sharp, silent emotional beats that pair well with the sparse prose.

What stood out most for me was the cultural difference in tone and moral takeaway. These tales don’t resolve neatly. They end in unsettled regret or quiet resignation—things left unsaid, debts left unpaid. That’s not how European ghost tales usually go, and it feels meaningful: humans haunted by their failed bonds, rather than looming demons. The storytelling teaches more through atmosphere and consequence than through obvious moral lessons.

[Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Manga Yokai Stories, Sean Michael Wilson and artist Inko Ai Takita adapt seven ghostly stories drawn from the works of turn of the twentieth-century globe-trotting journalist and writer Lafcadio Hearn into short comics. Drawn from Hearn’s works Shadowings, Kwaidan, and A Japanese Miscellany, the collection follows the original stories quite directly, with Takita’s art capturing their eerie nature. Including such influential tales as A Dead Secret, Nuke-kubi, and Reconciliation, this collection strongly showcases the folklore Hearn collected and retold for an international audience, making it an ideal introduction to his work.

I discuss other works recently published in English on Japanese folklore at Harris’ Tome Corner- Narrating the Strange: Kaidan of Yokai and Yurei in Japanese Folklore.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a modern, illustrated glimpse at the kind of stories that were being told when Scottish-Greek Lafcadio Hearn arrived in Japan in 1890. He recorded and published these stories before his death in 1904.

I could hardly put it down, and the illustrations were both pretty and disturbing, with an updated/simplified traditional look.

Five of the 7 stories are about female ghosts or spirits, but each had a different premise and outcome. The other two were an reincarnation story about a young disabled man, and a story about goblins called nuke-kubi.

There was a bit of a tendency towards melodrama (a bit of trouble in life make some characters want to die or become monks), but that's part of its old-fashioned charm.

I read this free on Libby/Kindle, and my only complaint is that you couldn't read it panel by panel. You had to zoom in for a closer look.

[Tasya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an eARC from edelweiss plus in exchange for an honest review

This is a fantastic read that reminds me how much I miss reading manga and yokai stories. The illustration reminds you if manga and the stories managed to capture the Japanese values and the characters emotions really well. My favorite is Reconciliation, Before the Supreme Court, and Nuke-kubi

Some stories may feel too short that you feel like you don't understand what's going on due to its abrupt end, but overall it's really good.

[Penny -Thecatladybooknook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading more manga lately and when I saw this set of Japanese supernatural stories in manga, I knew I wanted to read and review it. When I first saw the cover, I thought the stories would be a bit more on the horrific side. Despite this not being the case, I enjoyed reading all 7 of these supernatural tales.

I liked learning about some of the often told tales of a different culture. The artistry in this book is also very well done!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Tuttle Publishing for allowing me to read and review this free for an honest review.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a missed opportunity to provide each of the tales a satisfying narrative flow. Some tales ended abruptly with a forced resolution. Furthermore, some of the frames throughout were not organized in manga format (e.g. some dialogue bubbles had to be read left to right rather than right to left, and action sequences were disjointed and did not flow cohesively with the rest of book).

My favorite tales, though, which led to my decision to rate it 3 stars, were "Reconciliation", "Before the Supreme Court," and "Nuke-Kubi."

[M.J. Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sophisticated and well drawn version of these old stories. It's not horror though, its more like mystery tales. i checked the original English versions, from about 1904, and they also end in the same vague, open ended way. So it seems that is how the Japanese told them back in the Edo period or whenever these ghost stories first developed there. I think its good the creators kept to that, instead of 'modernising' them by making it more dramatic or over the top.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tales of a self-promoting samurai who sleeps with his dead wife. A girl who dies and takes the body of another and gains two more parents. A man who falls in love with a girl in a screen. He's so madly in love with her that she comes out of the screen and stays with him and many more bizarre and supernatural tales.

[Samuel Goldberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it, as a big fan of Hearn and Japanese ghost stories. It has a great mix, with only one being an often told tale, and all but one take great pleasure in the comic format.

I have no memory of reading The Screen Maidan before but I love the fact it did what I’ve always wanted these stories to do, insofar as how they end.

[Lieke]

I randomly picked this up when I saw it on a shelf at the library because I like reading about yokai. The stories were all taken from books by Lafcadio Hearn (mostly from Kwaidan). They are traditional Japanese ghost stories which are fun to read, but don't have much to do with yokai. The title is a bit misleading, but apart from that it's a fun, quick read.

[Luke Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this at the library because I've always enjoyed horror manga and Japanese ghost stories. I also knew the name Lafcadio Hearn, but I couldn't remember from where until I read the forward and realized I'd read his final book, "Kwaidan," many years ago. So cool when things come around like that decades later.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy yokai tales that are a series of unconnected short stories in the manga format that are less dark than the great Junji Ito but still pack a little ghostly punch. These are tied to stories told for generations as explained in the opening of the book by the creators. The illustrations are fluid and uncluttered as is the dialogue and narrative.

[rumbledethumps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting old ghost stories from Japan, illustrated beautifully. The transition to English/kindle perhaps suffered, as there were many typos in the lettering, and progressing left-to-right in page turns (english), but right to left in panels (manga).

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Me gustó aprender mas del folclore japonés🇯🇵 No son historias que den miedo, pero si para aprender sobre las creencias japonesas, los dibujos están padres, tengo muchas ganas de seguir leyendo sobre el tema.

[Revy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant concept - all the stories have been collected by real people or books over the years. The animation was very simplistic and didn't add much to the stories, and I wasn't that impressed by the selection of stories

[Benjamin Uke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drawn in a european style, the pages flow in opposite direction like traditional manga. The book shows well illustrated versions of the original Edo era childrens tales, originally compiled over 120 years ago.

[Ondra Král · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pokud čekáte příběhy o roztodivných japonských bubácích, tady je (kromě jednoho příběhu) nenajdete - jde spíš o duchařské příběhy a pověsti. Rád jsem si je přečetl, ale komiksové zpracování děsně drhne, autor nadužívá rámečky a vypráví se spíš textem než obrazem.

[Edison G.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

somewhat entertaining

No real horror, nothing that will keep you at the edge of your seat. But stories like these feel authentic. They form part of the folklore. Every nation has this kind of tales that don’t necessarily scare you but entertain you nonetheless

[Klára · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moc hororové to není, občas člověka zamrazí, číst se to dá. Některé příběhy jsou dynamičtější, některé méně,,, inu jak to u sbírek povídek, pověstí či vlastně u sbírek čehokoliv bývá. Neurazí, nenadchne.

[Paris Chadwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first manga and I was so weirded out by the layout but I eventually got used to it and really enjoyed the stories.

[Briana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just okay