The Great Yokai War is a 2005 Japanese fantasy film directed by Takashi Miike. Produced by Kadokawa Pictures and distributed by Shochiku. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Mai Takahashi.
The Great Yokai War
The film focuses largely on creatures from Japanese mythology known as yōkai (妖怪, variously translated as “apparition”, “goblin”, “ghoul”, “spirit”, or “monster”), which came to prominence during the Edo period with the works of Toriyama Sekien. It also draws inspiration from Aramata Hiroshi’s Teito Monogatari, with the novel’s antagonist Katō Yasunori appearing as the main antagonist in the film.
A young boy named Tadashi Ino moves to a small town after his parents’ divorce. At a local festival, he is chosen to be that year’s Kirin Rider, referring to the legendary Chinese chimera, the Qilin: a protector of all things good.
The Great Yokai War – The Movie
He soon discovers that his new title is quite literal, as a nefarious spirit named Yasunori Katō appears. Katō – a demon whose mystical powers are born of his rage at the annihilation of Japan’s local tribes – desires vengeance against the modern Japanese for their actions against the yōkai.
The Great Yokai War – The Movie 2005
To carry out his revenge, Katō allies himself with a yōkai named Agi, summoning a fiery spirit called Yomotsumono: a creature composed of the resentment carried by the multitudinous things mankind has discarded. Katō feeds yokai into Yomotsumono’s flames, fusing them with the numerous discarded tools and items to form kikai.
These kikai – under Katō’s control – capture other yōkai to build their numbers while killing humans. One such yokai, a sunekosuri escapes and befriends Tadashi who attempts to obtain the Daitenguken from the mountain as a right of passage for the role of Kirin Rider.