This research investigates the queerness of yōkai (supernatural entities) as fluid, transgressive figures within Japanese folklore and contemporary media. Focusing on the 2007 anime "Mononoke", the study argues that yōkai offer a powerful framework for rethinking gender and identity beyond rigid binaries. The anime’s protagonist - the androgynous Medicine Seller - serves as a liminal figure who traverses the boundaries of human and spirit, self and other, male and female. By drawing on queer theory, particularly the works of Judith Butler, Jack Halberstam, and Mikhail Bakhtin, this paper reframes yōkai not as mere folkloric symbols, but as dynamic embodiments of queer resistance, affect, and transformation. Rather than interpreting these figures solely through semiotic or structural lenses, the article foregrounds their performative and affective power, how they trouble normative identity and invite non-anthropocentric readings of gender. Ultimately, this study contends that yōkai, both historically and in anime like "Mononoke", persist as queer agents of disruption and world-making, offering new possibilities for understanding the relationship between folklore, media, and identity.

Authors:
Tan Gia Bao Huynh, Waseda University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Huynh Tan Gia Bao, PhD candidate at Waseda University (GSICCS), studies queer media and performance in Vietnam. His research connects anthropology, cultural studies, and queer theory to explore how queerness is shaped through media.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Huynh-Tan-Gia-Bao

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