In Japanese folklore Yōkai are supernatural beings of many kinds including monsters, spirits, ghosts, and demons. Some of them are friendly and some of them are not. Yōkai tales have been told in Japan for at least the last 1,200 years and are still told today, and yōkai of all kinds have been pictured in ukiyo-e, scroll paintings, manga, anime, etc. One of the oldest pictures of yōkai is the demon depicted on the national treasure from the 7th century Buddhist Tamamushi Shrine.
