A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark". An immortal demigod(-dess) often has tutelary status and a religious cult following, while a mortal demigod(-dess) is one who has fallen or died, but is popular as a legendary hero in various polytheistic religions. Figuratively, it is used to describe a person whose talents or abilities are so superlative that they appear to approach being divine.
Abe no Seimei was an onmyōji, a leading specialist of Onmyōdō during the middle of the Heian period in Japan. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore. He has been portrayed in several stories and films.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a monogatari containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form.
Cyborg 009 is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including Monthly Shōnen King, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Shōnen Big Comic, COM, Shōjo Comic, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Monthly Shōnen Jump, and Monthly Comic Nora. In 2012, comiXology acquired the digital distribution rights to Shotaro Ishinomori's catalogue, including Cyborg 009.
Ugetsu, also known as Tales of Ugetsu or Ugetsu Monogatari, is a 1953 Japanese historical drama and fantasy film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō. It is based on two stories in Ueda Akinari's 1776 book of the same name, combining elements of the jidaigeki genre with a ghost story.
Teito Monogatari is an epic historical dark fantasy/science fiction work; the debut novel of natural history researcher and polymath Hiroshi Aramata. It began circulation in the literary magazine Monthly King Novel owned by Kadokawa Shoten in 1983, and was published in 10 volumes over the course of 1985–1987. The novel is a romanticized retelling of the 20th-century history of Tokyo from an occultist perspective.
Yasunori Katō is a fictional character, the protagonist of the Japanese historical fantasy series Teito Monogatari, created by Hiroshi Aramata. He first appeared in a 1983 issue of a science fiction magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten but gained more widespread attention with successive publications as well as his cinematic debut, and has since gone on to be referenced frequently in Japanese popular culture. His character is generally associated with onmyōdō mysticism since Teito Monogatari was one of the first novels to popularize the art in modern Japanese fiction.
Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, known in Japan as Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, is a Japanese anime horror anthology television series produced by Toei Animation.
Trick comprises a comedic Japanese television drama and movie series, as well as associated comic books, novelizations and meta-fiction novels about a failed magician and an arrogant physicist who debunks fraudulent spiritualists. It stars Hiroshi Abe and Yukie Nakama and is shown on TV Asahi. It was created by Japanese director Yukihiko Tsutsumi and produced by Toho.
Ugetsu Monogatari is a collection of nine supernatural tales first published in 1776. It is the best known work of Japanese author Ueda Akinari.
Yasumasa Hirai (平井保昌) is a fictional character from the historical fantasy novel Teito Monogatari by Hiroshi Aramata. He also appears in the prequel novel Teito Gendan
Worshipping Small Gods is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Richard Parks. It was first published in trade paperback by Prime Books in January 2007, with a hardcover edition following from the same publisher in May of the same year.
On the Banks of the River of Heaven is a collection of fantasy short stories by Richard Parks. It was first published in hardcover by Prime Books in November 2010.
Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter is a collection of historical mystery fantasy short stories by Richard Parks, the first volume in a series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in simultaneous trade paperback and ebook form by Prime Books in January 2013.
The Heavenly Fox is a fantasy novella by Richard Parks. It was first published in hardcover by PS Publishing in February 2011. A subsequent ebook edition appeared in October 2013. It was nominated for the 2012 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.
Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate is a historical fantasy novel by Richard Parks, the second volume in his Yamada Monogatari series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in simultaneous trade paperback and ebook form by Prime Books in November 2014, with the first hardcover edition, under the alternate title To Break the Demon Gate, published by PS Publishing the same month. A subsequent audiobook edition was issued by Audible in December of the same year.
Yamada Monogatari: The Emperor in Shadow is a historical fantasy novel by Richard Parks, the fourth volume in his Yamada Monogatari series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by Prime Books in September 2016. A subsequent audiobook edition was issued by Audible.
Bibliography of fantasy writer Richard Parks:
One Hundred Ghost Stories is a series of ukiyo-e woodblock prints made by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) in the Yūrei-zu genre circa 1830. He created this series around the same time he was creating his most famous works, the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series. There are only five prints in this series, though as its title suggests, the publisher, Tsuruya Kiemon, and Hokusai wanted to make a series of one hundred prints. Hokusai was in his seventies when he worked on this series, and though his most famous impressions are landscape and wild-life works, he was attuned to the superstitions of the Edo period. This culminated in him creating these yokai prints of popular ghost stories being told at the time. The prints show scenes from such stories, that could be recited during the game of Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.
Yamada Monogatari: Troubled Spirits is a collection of historical mystery fantasy short stories by Richard Parks, the fifth volume in a series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji, a hard-bitten investigator of supernatural mysteries, who plies his hand-to-mouth trade with the help of the lapsed Buddhist priest Kenji. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook form by Canemill Publishing in October 2022.
