The work is a re-imagining of the 20th century of Tokyo as influenced by the occult. Most of the subject matter builds upon references to classic Japanese and Chinese folklore, although the centerpiece of the mythology is … See more

• 10 volumes, 1985–1987, cover art by Suehiro Maruo
• 12 volumes, 1987–1989, cover art by Yoshitaka Amano
• 6 volumes, 1995, cover art by Shou Tajima (this is the edition currently in print) See more

Teito Monogatari, the novel and its various adaptations, is widely credited with pioneering a number of folklore tropes in popular Japanese … See more

The historical characters who play primary or supporting roles in the story include:
• Taira no Masakado
• Tachibana no Hayanari See more

The tenth volume of the novel, published in 1987, was originally intended to be the final volume. However, when the novel was republished in … See more

The novel originally served as a minor side project for Hiroshi Aramata who, at the time, was focused on gathering materials for an upcoming natural history book he planned to publish. He was asked by the editor in chief of Kadokawa Shoten, Hiroshi Morinaga, to … See more

In her essay "Oni and Japanese Identity", Dr. Noriko T. Reider argues that the work is a heterotopic inversion of classical oni mythology heavily influenced by the supernatural configuration brought about by World War II. She describes the novel as a "...heterotopic … See more