A 73-year-old woman has received a doctoral degree for her research into representations of the folklore theme of a night parade of demons, saying her embrace of lifelong learning has brought joy to her life.
Misako Nagura, who first entered Aichi Prefectural University when she was 54 to start an undergraduate degree in literature, earned her doctorate in September for research focusing on a picture scroll depicting the "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
The parade of a horde of supernatural creatures known as oni and yōkai is a major theme in Japanese folklore, but the origin and meaning of the parade is still the subject of scholarly debate.