
Although the painting, located of the last page of the analysis, shows a picture of a mystical creature and a child in bed, what is the being that is known as the Baku, which seems frightening at first glance? According to ancient-origins.net, it is said that a Baku is a creature that was formed by the spare parts of other animals once the Lord was finished creating every animal (ancient-origins.net). Further details about the Baku will be discussed in a separate section to focus on the aspects that may contradict the ideas that the painting may convey. However, there are specific features of the painting that must be examine more closely and produced multiple moods that can best make the reader understand what it is that they are actually looking at. The two components that must be inspected throughout the entire painting is the details of the Baku itself and the facial expressions of the sleeping boy. Although those are initially the main focuses of the painting, the readers may not understand the importance of how the contradiction of this mystical beast affected the myth that people made stories about.

So what is the purpose of the Baku and where did it originally come from? To be quite frank, the Baku is a spirit that consumes the nightmares of those who summons it. It is not a “yokai in the sense of fantasy creatures,” but are instead viewed as a sacred animal (hyakumonogatari.com). However, some people fear the power of the Baku and formed legends that may not bring justice to its name. One legend that was passed along from parent to child is that if the Baku is not satisfied after eating the nightmare of the child, it will also eat the child’s hopes and desires. If that was the case, why would parents allow their children to “whisper three times[:] Baku-san, come eat my dream” (hyakumonogatari.com). If the Baku could have the possibility of harming children that much, then why would someone summon such a creature? Could it really just be the ignorance of humans that allows people to put themselves at such risk or is the legend just a means of convincing others not to rely on a being that may not even exist? From a nonreligious standpoint, anything can be possible if people can believe in it. One things for certain, the legend of the Baku has changed from the original version from the Chinese. The original tales of the Baku was that they were creatures that were hunted down for their pelts, so that blankets can be made as talismans to ward off evil spirits and illnesses; many more changes occurred for the Baku until it was brought to Japan, where it officially become known as the dream eater that was clearly stated in this simple analysis (hyakumonogatari.com).

Without considering the information that was previously stated, what can be said about the creature known as a Baku in the painting. The first thing that can be stated is that there is a huge, four legged creature standing right next to a sleeping boy in an apparently dark room, hinted by the shading of the top-left side of the painting. Although the creature doesn’t resemble a current animal that lives in this world presently, it is definitely possible to see characteristics from many different animals that are put together in one, ranging from the elephant-like tusks, claws of some kind of member from the big cats, and the tail of either an ox or boar. While thinking about this description alone, how does the thought of knowing that one of the creatures existing in our world affects any reader? To most people, a creature of this sort would be terrifying to even look at from a distance, not to mention that it is right next to the child that is sleeping. If that wasn’t enough to make someone feel anxious about this picture, then the next important characteristic to look at is the Baku’s eyes. What could be the actual intent of the Baku with how he looks at the child? It obviously that the Baku seems to be hungry, but what could it really be after? Why does it almost look like there is some form of hatred in his eyes? Although the third question cannot be explained without knowing even more about the Baku or about the painter that created this artwork, this analysis clearly states what the Baku is after. However, if the information wasn’t already given, would the viewer come up with some other possibility for the Baku’s intentions? For example, could this be one of the monsters that could be in children’s closets that wakes until everyone is asleep, so it can begin eating/torturing them? The possibility that someone would think that the beast would actually be helping children is extremely low, unless they know what the Baku is.

What is the first thing that a viewer would notice if they were looking at the child in the painting? From the perspective of a viewer, the child would not have the accurate representation solely because the Baku becomes the center of attention in the painting. If the Baku was removed, then bias wouldn’t be available like it is now. The viewer might not have noticed the light brushstrokes for the hair of the boy, which gives evidence that the boy was not turning in his sleep. Although it may be hard to tell, the child seems to be troubled by something in his sleep, which could just be bias that forms from his surroundings. However, one thing that can be analyzed thoroughly is the child’s eyes in respect to the Baku. At first glance, the child could seem to be scared of the Baku and be trying to avoid looking at it. This changes once the viewer puts himself into a similar situation as shown on the picture. Although the child does look somewhat troubled, he is still too calm to know that there is a huge creature beside him, with only needing to consider his eyes and his hair. Other evidence, such as the cover around him being too tidy, could also help clarify the assumption that the child is unaware of the beast. So what other reason could the child have for being uneased? If it isn’t the Baku, then the best choice would have to be a nightmare. Could viewers come up with this possibility without knowing some kind of prior knowledge on the Baku? To understand a foreign work of art to that extent is praise worthy, especially if the viewer can depict the reasoning for the Baku’s appearance.

Now that both the child and the Baku has been analyzed thoroughly, what can the underlining mood of this painting be? Certainly, the boy is troubled by something and a scary creature is glaring at the kid with his mouth open. However, does it really mean that the Baku is an evil spirit of some kind? Since prior information explains that the Baku can be summoned by children to devour their bad dreams, it could be seen as an angel in disguise, purifying the evil within one’s mind. Evidence from the picture can prove that this particular Baku was not summoned, since the child seemed to be unaware of the Baku’s presence, showing that the Baku can appear anywhere without being allowed to. Along with the legend stating that the Baku may not “satiated with a single dream, and might suck away her hopes and ambitions along with it[,]” this could lead the viewer to believe that it’s evil through fear of its very existence (hyakumonogatari.com). So, is the Baku a wild beast, a good spirit, or some sort of evil demon? One thing is for certain, that is something that the viewer must decide as they continue to admire the simplicity of the painting.
