Yume-no-seirei is a mysterious yōkai in Japanese mythology believed to cause nightmares. Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the Heian and Edo periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the dead caused a multitude of evils for the living. On certain nights, demons and ghosts would move in a haunting procession from dusk to dawn, known as the Hyakki yakō or night procession of one hundred demons. Occasionally, yume no seirei appears in this procession. He appears in the Hyakkai Zukan, “The Illustrated Volume of a Hundred Demons,” created by Sawaki Suushi in 1737. Yume no seirei is also part of the Bakemonozukushie (化物尽絵, “Illustrated Index of Supernatural Creatures”)… Artists depict yume-no-seirei as an emaciated, elderly man. He wears a loose white robe, which reveals his frail body and exposed ribcage. His thin wispy hair flows behind him in a ghostly motion. In his right hand he holds a cane and with his left he reaches out, beckoning. The bottom half of his body eerily fades away as if he is disappearing. His appearance is similar to the description of the female ghosts Yūrei. Similar yōkai: Baku, Binbōgami, Makura-gaeshi.
Appearance List Bakemono Zukushi Monster Scroll (Edo Period)
Sample Read Bakemono Zukushi Monster Scroll (Edo Period) [Internet Archive]
Description Yume-no-seirei is a mysterious yōkai in Japanese mythology believed to cause nightmares. Belief in the supernatural was particularly strong during the Heian and Edo periods. During this time, many believed that the spirits of the dead caused a multitude of evils for the living. On certain nights, demons and ghosts would move in a haunting procession from dusk to dawn, known as the Hyakki yakō or night procession of one hundred demons. Occasionally, yume no seirei appears in this procession. He appears in the Hyakkai Zukan, “The Illustrated Volume of a Hundred Demons,” created by Sawaki Suushi in 1737. Yume no seirei is also part of the Bakemonozukushie (化物尽絵, “Illustrated Index of Supernatural Creatures”)… Artists depict yume-no-seirei as an emaciated, elderly man. He wears a loose white robe, which reveals his frail body and exposed ribcage. His thin wispy hair flows behind him in a ghostly motion. In his right hand he holds a cane and with his left he reaches out, beckoning. The bottom half of his body eerily fades away as if he is disappearing. His appearance is similar to the description of the female ghosts Yūrei. Similar yōkai: Baku, Binbōgami, Makura-gaeshi.
