Special Exhibition at Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Hall: “Japanese Yokai in Ukiyo-e”
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A special exhibition titled “Japanese Yokai in Ukiyo-e — Turn Around and It’s a Mononoke Summer” is now on view at the Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Hall. The show introduces 100 ukiyo-e prints depicting yokai that are frightening yet somehow humorous.

Since ancient times, Japanese people have perceived unseen and mysterious things as mononoke. “When the Edo period arrived, Edo residents—driven by a morbid curiosity—turned mononoke into yokai characters and enjoyed the thrill of fear,” explains curator Hiroki Sasao.
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One highlight of the exhibition is work by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, a specialist in yokai imagery. Active from the late Tokugawa period into the Meiji era, Yoshitoshi is known for a dramatic, almost comic-book style that captivates viewers with dynamic brushwork.

The exhibition also shows actor prints of kabuki performers, offering insight into kabuki plays that feature yokai. “In fact, kabuki is the art form that popularized yokai stories in summer,” says curator Sasao. “It started when a famous kabuki actor took a summer break and a yokai-themed play staged in his absence happened to become a hit.”

Curator gallery talks will be held at 1:30 p.m. on July 21 and August 11. The exhibition runs through September 23.
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Opening hours
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission at 4:30 p.m.)

Closed days
Mondays (the following Tuesday when Monday is a public holiday)
During the New Year holidays (December 29 to January 3)

Admission fees
Adults and university students: 500 yen (400 yen)
Elementary, junior high, and high school students: 400 yen (300 yen)
*Prices in parentheses apply to groups of 20 or more.

Access
By train: 15-minute walk from Hota Station or Awa-Katsuyama Station on the JR Uchibo Line
By car: 5 minutes from Kyonan-Hota IC on the Futtsu–Tateyama Toll Road, along Route 127, inside Roadside Station Kyonan