Not even an art major student, I was an ordinary woman who was working as a software engineer. If there is anything that is a little unordinary about me, it would be the fact that I was born in a rural area in Shimane prefecture, Japan. It has been believed traditionally that Japanese Gods gather there. With the myth surrounding me, I grew up reading many old folk tales about Gods and “Yokai” that had originated in Shimane. The inspiration of my artwork comes from this unique background I had growing up.
I began to think about expressing the existence of “Yokai（妖怪）”, a Japanese folk tale ghost, in a vibrant way using the method of collage. There are two things that have in-spired me to express my art in the way I created.
First, it is the existence of Lafcadio Hearn, who is well known for his work writing about “Yokai” in Shimane, where I grew up. He wrote a story about a supernatural phenomenon in Japan titled as “ Kaidan(怪談)”, by his Japanese writer name Yakumo Koizumi. Through his story, I had come to realize the beautifulness of portraying what we humans are in “awe” of as a Japanese folk tale ghost,Yokai. It is unquestionable that his work is what in-spired me to create a collage having Yokai as the motif.
Secondly, it is the existence of the Japanese Anime culture. I very much love the culture myself. In modern Anime, it is often seen that a Japanese folk tale monster appears as a protagonist’s magical power. Among Japanese Anime works, such as Ghibli, Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen, the “awe” is conveyed as something attractive such as a magical power. Given the history of being feared back in the old era by people in Japan, I gained my in-spiration to portray the existence of “Yokai” as something mystically attractive through Animation.
My collage was created while in my head, incorporating a "Yokai" into a real-life setting. I made this art in the hope for the audience to feel like they are encountering them in real-ity. I would like as many people as possible to witness the numerous Yokai’s stories.
Also, I strongly believe that the work “Yokai” portrayed as the representation of “awe” should be recognized as something mystically attractive. I had come to create this work with the inspirational thought I came up with.