Teito Monogatari - Legacy

Legacy

Professor of Human Geography Paul Waley claims that Teito Monogatari was a major influence in reminding an entire generation of Japanese readers of Tokyo's former status as an Imperial Capital. Dr. Noriko T. Reider, associate professor of Japanese Studies at Miami University, describes it as an "exemplary work of fiction" and has cited it as being responsible for raising "the oni's status and popularity greatly in modern times." Higashi Masao, a foremost authority in the field of Japanese weird fiction, and Akira Okawada, a specialist on Japanese science fiction, have both written articles about the novel's impact on the respective genres. Critics in Japan have also compared the novel to popular English alternate history fantasy works such as Alan Moore's Watchmen and Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series.

Concepts that were popularized in Japan through the work include onmyōdō mysticism, shikigami, fūsui (feng shui) mythology, kodoku magic, shijie, gohō dōji and Kimon Tonkou magic. Interest in onmyōdō mysticism gained much greater momentum from even more popular works as Baku Yumemakura's Onmyoji novels and Natsuhiko Kyogoku's Kyōgokudō (京極堂) series. The success of these aforementioned franchises and Teito Monogatari have led to countless modern fantasy stories revolving around onmyoji to be produced, including popular manga/anime such as Tokyo Babylon, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Shonen Onmyouji, and Onmyo Taisenki.