Had to share this post from my friend Kyle, as its wonderfully spooky AND educational, and perfect for October feels... Frightful Film Friday: The 1968 Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari or as its known in the states, 100 Monsters, gets its title from an ancient Japanese storytelling game. In the summertime of old Japan, when the oppressive heat and humidity rendered daylight activity all but unbearable, people longed for the night and the scant relief brought by the setting sun. There, amidst a chorus of frogs and insects serenading the coming Obon, the people would play Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai (百物語怪談会), or A Gathering of 100 Weird Tales, and silently the spirits would return. 100 candles would be placed in a circle, and the players would each tell a ghoulish tale, often a story from their local village, or perhaps a more personal experience. As each tale ended, the storyteller would douse a single candle, the light slowly fading as the tension rose. The game was said to be a ritual of evocation, the expiration of each story and each candle summoning more spiritual energy, transforming the room into a beacon for the dead. With the vanishing of the final light, someone or something terrible would be waiting in the darkness. While no one knows exactly how Hyakumonogatari Kaidan-kai came to be played, it is believed that the game was originally created by the samurai as a test of courage, to see who was brave enough to withstand the gruesome tales and who would succumb and shiver when the final light was doused. Who wants to play with me?
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 18:59:43 +0000
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