Yokai Art Museum

The Yokai Art Museum invites visitors to explore the mystical world of Japanese folklore through interactive exhibits and artistic installations. Located on Shodoshima island, this unique museum houses over 800 yokai artworks and sculptures collected from around the world, offering a comprehensive journey into Japanese supernatural traditions.

The museum traces the origins of yokai, which emerged during the late Heian period and are rooted in ancient Japanese animism. The exhibits showcase how these supernatural beings evolved from spiritual concepts into cultural icons. Visitors learn how yokai originated from the Japanese belief that spirits inhabited all things, explaining mysterious occurrences as the work of these supernatural entities. The museum presents this historical progression through carefully curated sculptures and displays, moving from medieval representations of yokai as manifestations of animistic spiritual beliefs to their later use as entertainment during the Edo period.

The Dodeca Yokai exhibition features a recently discovered yokai said to appear on cold evenings. Housed within a converted soy sauce factory warehouse, this immersive experience includes a giant cave installation. The exhibition creates an atmospheric environment where visitors may feel the presence of this mysterious yokai, blurring the line between reality and folklore.

The Yokai SDGs LABO section presents modern interpretations of yokai as representations of contemporary fears and concerns. This laboratory-style exhibit explores the concept that all things possess souls and introduces yokai born from modern humanity's anxieties. The exhibition encourages visitors to understand and befriend these modern spiritual entities as a means of addressing societal challenges.

The Mononoke Mandara exhibition offers an introspective experience set in darkness. Visitors recline on tatami mats and meditate while observing ceiling paintings that stretch before them. This immersive space allows for quiet reflection and personal introspection, creating an opportunity for visitors to confront their inner selves and experience spiritual renewal.