After Dark, Kyoto Felt Different: Discovering Hyakki Yagyo

Kyoto has stories that have been passed down for generations, hidden within its beautiful scenery. One of them is Hyakki Yagyo, a tale about yokai—mysterious creatures said to walk through the streets at night. One summer evening, I was walking through the illuminated garden of Kodai-ji Temple when I stepped into the world of this old story. Before me was a Hyakki Yagyo picture scroll painted about 300 years ago. In this column, I will share my experience at Kodai-ji and how learning about this old story changed the way I saw Kyoto.

Hyakki Yagyo is a yokai legend that has been passed down in Kyoto for about 1,100 years. Long ago, people explained strange events and invisible things through stories about yokai. Stories like these are not only part of the past. They are still part of Kyoto’s temples, streets, and everyday life.

I stepped into this story one summer evening at Kodai-ji Temple, where a Hyakki Yagyo exhibition was being held. Inside the main hall, I saw a picture scroll of Hyakki Yagyo painted about 300 years ago. Old objects and animals became yokai in the stories. They looked a little scary, but their expressions were playful and mischievous. As I looked at them, the yokai I had thought were frightening began to look strangely charming. As night fell, the garden was filled with soft light. A projection mapping show brought the Hyakki Yagyo to life in the darkness. The yokai seemed to leave the picture scroll and walk through the garden. I couldn’t look away. They were frightening, yet beautiful. The story I had seen during the day blended into the garden before me. For a moment, the garden itself felt like the setting of Hyakki Yagyo.

After leaving Kodai-ji Temple, I walked through the streets of Kyoto at night. Even the stone paths and quiet alleys felt like part of the story I had just seen. After learning about Hyakki Yagyo, I began to see echoes of that story in the streets around me. The quiet streets of Kyoto, which had seemed so ordinary before, now felt a little mysterious, as if something unseen might be hiding there.

When you visit Kyoto next time, look beyond the beautiful scenery. Take time to learn the stories that have been passed down in each place. Even one story can make familiar stone paths and quiet alleys feel different.