Most of the subject matter builds upon references to classic Japanese and Chinese folklore, although the centerpiece of the mythology is the legend of Taira no Masakado, a 10th-century warlord and ferocious onryo who was placated into a guardian kami through centuries of worship.

[3] With an incredible knowledge of the supernatural and allies in China, Korea and Taiwan; Katō dedicates his life to crippling Tokyo, the seat of power of the modern Japanese Empire.

It reinvents major events such as the Great Kantō earthquake, the founding of Japan's first subway, the February 26 Incident, the firebombing raids, the signing of the 1960 US Security Pact, and the ritual suicide of Yukio Mishima.

The novel originally served as a minor side project for Hiroshi Aramata who, at the time, was focused on gathering materials for an upcoming natural history book he planned to publish.

[10] He was asked by the editor in chief of Kadokawa Shoten, Hiroshi Morinaga, to produce a fantasy themed work for their periodical Monthly King Novel.

In a 2011 interview with Fuji TV, Aramata described how Masakado's shrine occupies some of the richest land in Tokyo and that many companies located around his head mound pay it the greatest respect.

[13][14] In addition, while participating in the creation of Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, Hiroshi Aramata was also inspired by discussions with anthropologist Komatsu Kazuhiko about sources of the strange and the mysterious in Japanese folklore.

Subsequently, these topics would all become recurrent tropes in mainstream Japanese fantasy fiction, including a vast number of manga, anime and video games known throughout the international scene.

[23][24] Science fiction author Baku Yumemakura was inspired by the work to begin writing his Onmyoji novel series; a best-selling franchise which became the popular face of onmyodo enthusiasm across Japan and the international scene.

[26] Mikako Iwatake cites Teito Monogatari as a work that reminded a generation of general Japanese readers about Tokyo's former status as an imperial capital.

[27] Dr. Noriko T. Reider, associate professor of Japanese Studies at Miami University, credits Teito Monogatari with raising "the oni's status and popularity greatly in modern times".

The character of Yasunori Kato is intended as a homage to classic heroes from Japanese folklore such as Minamoto no Raiko (an imperial soldier related to oni) and Abe no Seimei.

In Teito Monogatari however, the Showa Emperor is presented as a frail figure who prolongs his life by unwittingly ingesting a nostrum made from human organs.