Why are yokai, which are supposed to be scary, drawn so charmingly? Unraveling the mystery of yokai paintings, the last bastion of Japanese art history.
Due to its popular appeal and caricature-like or satirical expressions, ``yokai paintings'' have not been considered as a theme in art history until now.
However, in Japan, it is a wide-ranging field that has been familiar to everyone from children to adults since ancient times, and it is also an important subject that is closely related to Japan's unique indigenous culture and religion, such as nature worship and folklore of each region.
This project provides an opportunity to reconsider the characteristic aspects of Japanese art, such as laughter and play, by reconsidering the genealogy of "yokai paintings," which have not been talked about as mainstream art in art history. .
Yokai Manga [Volume 2] Artists' competition edition
Yokai paintings, rich in caricature and satirical, were a subculture of the Edo period that gained overwhelming support from the masses.
It is full of monster paintings (ukiyo-e) drawn by popular artists, including Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Kawanabe Kyosai.
Preface: Noi Sawaragi
Included works: Monster paintings by popular ukiyo-e artists from the Edo period to the early Meiji period, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, and Kawanabe Kyosai.
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Yokai Manga vol.2
Due to its popular appeal and caricaturish, satirical content, yokai-ga (literally, pictures of monstrous creatures – yokai) have been treated as a minor current within Japanese art history.Enjoyed by the common people of Japan since ancient times, yokai-ga have been valued also for their intimate associations with the nature beliefs and folk traditions that are the native culture and religion of Japan.This publishing project is reconsidering the lineage of yōkai-ga in order to offer a fresh look at the distinctive aspects of comicality and humor in Japanese art.
countryoforigin: Japan
