Caught up in the rush of modernity, it is sometimes easy to forget just what a unique and unusual country Japan is. An exhibition such as "Yokai: Demons, Folklore Creatures and GeGeGe no Kitaro" serves to remind us, by peeling back the surface of everyday life and showing us the "collective subconsciousness" represented by the country's longstanding supernatural beliefs.
Held at Tokyo's Mitsui Memorial Museum, the show brings together antique scroll paintings, noh masks, and ukiyo-e woodblock prints depicting Japan's rich world of yokai — ghouls, monsters, and other things that go bump in the night. An attempt is also made to bring it up to date by including some excellent artworks by the manga artist, Mizuki Shigeru, showing ghoulish characters from his famous comic series, centered around its eponymous hero GeGeGe no Kitaro.
Of course, every country has its spooks, but few, if any, can match the incredible multitude and diversity of supernatural beings that seem to infest or enrich Japanese folklore. There are several reasons that account for this. First there is the religious basis of Japanese culture, namely Shintoism and Buddhism.