Hanyo - Your Art History Reference Guide!

ArtHistoryClub Information Site on Hanyo Art History Art History Search        Art History Browse             News        Gallery        Forums        Articles        Weblinks        welcome to our free resource site for all art history lovers!

Hanyo

A Han'yō (Japanese: 半妖) in Japanese folklore is the product of a union between a yōkai and a human. Examples of han'yō are the characters InuYasha, Jinenji, and Naraku from the anime and manga series InuYasha, and Sha Gojyo, the red-haired, red-eyed playboy from Saiyuki. In folklore, han'yō are often seen as useless monsters. They are ostracized by humans and yōkai alike, because they are proof of a relationship between a human and yōkai that both groups see as improper.

There are, however, exceptions. Human descendants of a liaison between a kitsune and a human male are sometimes portrayed as heroic figures. Abe no Seimei, a famous onmyōji of the Heian Period, is one such figure said to be descended from a kitsune. Even these han'yō, though, remain separated from human society in one sense — they possess unusual traits and superhuman powers as a legacy of their bloodlines, and this often makes ordinary humans uneasy.

Last updated: 06-05-2009 13:38:31
The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the
GNU Free Documentation License. See original document.

See more unique gifts by PositiveDesigns
Art History Search | Art History Browse | Contact | Legal info