Blue Lady-in-WaitingEmaki and Sekien Lineage Iconography

Aonyōbō here is less a creature of a fixed tale than a court lady’s image turned uncanny and circulated as iconography. Sekien paints her as a lady-in-waiting haunting a ruined old palace, exaggerating obsolete rites and cosmetics—ohaguro and painted brows—to give her a ghostly air. In Night Parade scrolls she often appears with ladies’ accoutrements such as curtains, mirrors, and fans, quietly following the procession. The name derives from the social title aonyo (young lady-in-waiting), making the yokai label largely retrospective. While a record of an “aonyo” exists in the Azuma Kagami, identification is cautious, sharing only the appearance of a young court woman. Local lore offers few concrete episodes, and the setting is typically a decayed palace or the parlor of an old house. Despite its creative coloring, this is a leading example of a pictorial yokai that renders the afterimage of court culture as the uncanny.

This yokai is included in the following collections:

Beautiful Yokai

Discover Japan’s “beautiful yokai,” from the Snow Woman to Tamamo-no-Mae—seductive spirits whose tragic legends reveal another face of folklore.

テーマ別

妖怪美しい妖怪

Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki

Published in 1779, Toriyama Sekien’s sequel to Gazu Hyakki Yagyō adds notes to each yokai in three volumes: Rain, Dusk, and Dawn.

テーマ別

今昔画図続百鬼鳥山石燕

Yokai with similar personality and characteristics to Emaki and Sekien Lineage Iconography

Byōbu-Nozoki (Screen-Peeker)

Iconographic Tradition–Conforming Version

95%

Compatibility

Korōka (Ancient Lantern Fire)

Sekien’s Koro-bi (Ancient Lantern-Fire)

94%

Compatibility

Hitodama (Human Soul Fire)

Hitodama (Traditional Tale Version)

92%

Compatibility

Yokai with opposite personality and characteristics to Emaki and Sekien Lineage Iconography

Hotei

Incarnation of Maitreya, the Laughing Monk, Hotei

61%

Compatibility

Ame-no-uzume

The Laughing Dancer Who Opens the Rock Cave

63%

Compatibility

Sakata no Kintoki

The Herculean Boy of Mt. Ashigara: Sakata no Kintoki

63%

Compatibility