The earliest literary references to a night parade of yokai appear in the 14th-century Buddhist tale collection Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness) by Kenkō Yoshida. However, the concept gained visual form during the Muromachi (1336–1573) and Edo (1603–1868) periods.
The concept originated in the Heian period (794–1185). Folklore warned that on certain nights, yokai would march through the streets of Kyoto. Anyone who witnessed the parade without a protective scroll or spell would perish or be spirited away. Yokai Art- Night Parade of One Hundred Demons