Inoue Enryo was a Meiji-era philosopher and educator, the founder of Tetsugakkan, the forerunner of Toyo University. He advocated “yokaigaku” (yokai studies), explaining superstitions scientifically, and was nicknamed “Doctor Yokai.”
He investigated Kokkuri-san, which was hugely popular in the Meiji era, and explained in Yokai Genkai (1887) that its movements were caused not by spirits but by the psychology and unconscious muscle movements of the participants. He traveled the country giving lectures and worked hard to dispel superstition.
