Toriyama Sekien. [ Tama doesn't even hesitate before uttering the man's name, picking himself up to sit up straight- this is one of the greats of folklore writing, a genius for his humor and categorizing of thousands of myths and depictions. ] His books are the premiere essence of understanding yokai- almost all of our modern perspective on the demons of Japan stem from his collated works. Without him to collect up the myths and stories from all across Japan, I'm sure that we would have forgotten so much of our history...though, I suppose it would have also weakened the yokai somewhat...

[ It hadn't helped him exactly, given he'd not realized he was possessed by a hashihime for a long time, but it wasn't as if the Gazu Hyakki Yagyou could predict such specific changes of local customs. But as a glossary for someone unused to Japan? ] It would also be the most neutral perspective- I'm sure the worlds we all inhabit, while naturally slanted towards Japans as this is a Japanese hell, are all slightly different. Those changes might cause even further confusion. [ Dryly, as if he somehow had been the one to read Kimm's mind, but really he was just complaining about his 'senpai'- ] They're 'yokai' for me, for example. Ayakashi are usually spirits pertaining to water, in my understanding, not such a broad term. But any yokai that walks the earth is 'above water' like an ayakashi would be, so...who knows what the future has done to language, is what I'm saying.