Special exhibition “Yokai Aquarium” held at Hyogotsu Museum!

Special exhibition “Yokai Aquarium” held at Hyogotsu Museum! ​
Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd. Press release: July 4, 2025 To the Press Special exhibition “Yokai Aquarium” to be held at Hyogotsu Museum! Special exhibition planned by Yokai Art Museum to “see and feel” waterside yokai and “think and act” from the perspective of SDGs. Preview to be held on Friday, July 18th The special exhibition “Yokai Aquarium” planned by the Yokai Art Museum of Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture (Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd.) will be held at the Hyogo Prefectural Hyogotsu Museum from July 19th (Sat) to September 15th (Mon, National Holiday), 2025. With the theme of aquatic monsters lurking around us, there will be giant art made from discarded fishing nets, three-dimensional monster sculptures, and exhibitions to raise awareness of drowning prevention and SDGs. There will also be an introduction to the folklorist Kunio Yanagita, who has ties to Fukusaki Town in Hyogo Prefecture, and the yokai folklore of Hyogo, as well as a number of events, including an exchange meeting with Fukusaki Town’s popular character, “Gajiro the Kappa,” and a workshop on drawing yokai. This is a special exhibition that allows you to “learn about the past of Hyogo and expand your imagination for the present and future” through yokai. A “preview” will be held from 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 18th, so members of the press are welcome to attend.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-f99979177062a2d8fbb10cbdb114aa64-1910×2700.jpg ■Background of the event The Hyogo Prefectural Hyogo-tsu Museum, located in Hyogo-tsu, the birthplace of Hyogo Prefecture, is a new type of facility that combines two buildings: the Hyogo Hajimarikan, a museum facility, and the First Prefectural Office Building, a restored facility of the first Hyogo Prefectural Office. The museum uses a variety of methods, including a variety of videos and experiential content, to communicate the history of Hyogo-tsu, the origins of Hyogo Prefecture, and the charms of the five Hyogo provinces that make up the prefecture (reprinted from the Hyogo-tsu Museum website). In addition, Hyogo Prefecture is home to the birthplace of Kunio Yanagita, the founder of Japanese folklore studies, and the river where he spent his childhood is home to the legend of a kappa. For this reason, Hyogo Prefecture is where the “original landscape of monsters” that Kunio Yanagita had in mind lies, and it could be said that the origins of folklore studies lie in Hyogo Prefecture. This time, a special exhibition themed on waterside monsters, the “Yokai Aquarium,” will be held in Hyogo Prefecture.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-872c3e8cb9f062ae10e64cc85e6a9066-3507×2480.jpg *The photo is for illustrative purposes only. ■The giant art of discarded fishing nets, “Akashi’s Giant Octopus,” attacks! Artist Mitsuo Takeda creates a spectacular installation Sculptor Mitsuo Takeda has created a giant piece of art called “Akashi’s Giant Octopus (tentative title)” for this special exhibition. Takeda is also the creator of the 4-meter-tall giant monster “Shall I wrap you up?” on display in the Yokai Art Museum’s Building 2. A dynamic installation using discarded fishing nets will be displayed at the entrance on the first floor of Hyogo Hajimarikan. In addition, Takeda will hold a workshop called “Let’s make an SDGs monster!” on Saturday, July 19th.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-25d447ad87c536049fc260d1d6ec6861-2304×1600.png ■Kunio Yanagita x Kappa Gajiro | Was the origin of Japanese folklore in Hyogo? The exhibition will introduce how Kunio Yanagita spent his childhood in what is now Fukusaki Town, where the kappa legend remains, and how he developed the foundation for the establishment of Japanese folklore studies and the “original landscape of monsters.” In addition, panels will explain the ecology of the popular character “Kappa Gajiro,” which was born based on the kappa legend of Fukusaki Town. Photo provided by Fukusaki Town ■A large collection of 3D waterside yokai sculptures from Shodoshima A large number of unique and pop “waterside yokai sculptures” from the Yokai Art Museum will be exhibited as “modern yokai.”
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-9ad655a141181a0adbb304aa60d78324-1334×2000.jpg A variety of events, including workshops and social gatherings, will be held during the event
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-77d8bc3b974e1057ce25a9f3c21d6957-782×497.jpg [Workshop] Let’s make an SDGs monster! 7/19 (Sat) 11:00-, 13:00- Capacity: 30 people per session Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan
Instructor: Mitsuo Takeda (sculptor) Participation fee: Free (first come, first served, special exhibition viewing ticket required for participation) Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-3ab338e24bd7c897b2e661de953ef046-3900×2600.jpg [Workshop] Let’s draw a waterside monster Let’s draw an original “waterside monster” together with Yokai Art Museum director and yokai artist Chuhei Yagyu! The finished work will be displayed as a giant fish on the wall on the second floor. 7/20 (Sun) 11:30-18:00 Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan Instructor: Tadahira Yagyu (Yokai Painter, Director of Yokai Art Museum) Participation fee: Free (free entry and exit)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-6e58dd590d451b7691e47d54c91e3171-2965×2239.jpg [Workshop] Handmade with fishing nets Make bottle holders, mini hammocks, and more out of fishing nets that are no longer in use. Children and adults can have fun using the needles, thread, and scissors that fishermen use to repair their nets. 8/9 (Sat) 8/11 (Mon) (Holiday) 13:00-17:00 Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan Instructor: General Incorporated Association neo-wave Participation fee: 500 yen Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-14a41616eb9e5044c1b1a4722590ad6d-3900×2194.jpg [Event] Kappa Gajiro Exchange Meeting The popular kappa “Gajiro” from Fukusaki Town, Hyogo Prefecture is coming! If you’re lucky, you can even get a Gajiro autograph. Appearance time: 7/19 (Sat) 13:00~, 14:20~ | 8/11 (Monday) (Holiday) 13:00~, 15:00~ Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-9fb256f95152badc0324ee98aca47bfe-2000×1521.jpg [Event] Yokai Costume Gathering Various yokai cosplayers active all over the country will appear at Hyogotsu Museum! Appearance time: 7/20 (Sun), 8/9 (Sat) | 15:00~ Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-c5d396f66192128d5681d7ac98647b84-408×312.jpg [Event] Reading of Hyogo folklore and monster picture books Books themed on Hyogo folklore and monsters will be read aloud. Look forward to it every weekend! 7/19 (Sat) 14:00~ | 7/20 (Sun) 11:00~, 13:00~ | Every Sunday in August 11:00~, 13:00~ 9/7 (Sun), 9/14 (Sun) 11:00~, 13:00~ Location: Hyogo Hajimarikan Reader: Nakatomo Participation fee: Free (free entry and exit)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-267818ad169a589474d68e8112160fde-3165×1600.jpg [Event] Ghost story gathering “Harmony, Sound, Ghosts – A Night of Tales by the Heike and Okiku” A nighttime ghost story gathering by the classic ghost story duo “Shido – Yorimash”! Cellist Hiroshi Nakatsu will also perform a “Bunraku” solo! Classic ghost story: Shodo (Kataribe Manchano, Biwa player Ryushin Nakazawa) Cello performance: Hiroshi Nakatsu Saturday, August 16th, doors open at 18:00,
performance begins at 18:30 Location: First Prefectural Office Building Participation fee: 2,400 yen (includes one drink, 400 yen discount if you bring a ticket to the special exhibition) *Reservation required (50 people capacity, apply on the Hyogotsu Museum website)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/5189/207/5189-207-e9d24d910828d9926801e722cbeec0cf-2000×1333.jpg [Event] Test your courage at the Night Museum Test your courage at the Night Museum! Explore the historical space of the Edo period and seal away the monsters lurking in the darkness. Those who managed to seal all the youkai will receive a prize! From 7/20 (Sun) and 8/9 (Sat) from 18:00 Location: First Prefectural Government Office Cast: Villain Alliance Participation fee: Free (reservations are not required; tickets for viewing the special exhibition are required to enter) ■A preview will be held on Friday, July 18th (media members can also participate) Date and Time | Friday, July 18th, 2025, from 3pm (reception from 2:30pm) *Ceremony will be held with explanations of the purpose of the event Venue | Hyogotsu
Museumhttps://hyogo-no-tsu.jp/ If you would like to participate in the press, please contact us by email or phone by Tuesday, July 15th. Hyogotsu Museum preview: hyogo-no-tsu@anabuki-enter.co.jp TEL 078-651-1868 [What is Yokai Art Museum?] This museum displays over 900 monster artworks in the maze town of Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture. You will be visiting four old Japanese houses scattered throughout the town using a smartphone guide app. We display and store over 900 works submitted to the Yokai Art Award, from the origins of Yokai to modern Yokai. “Toward the World” We want to “Yokai” to make Yokai a world language. The director is Yagyu Tadhei, a yokai artist born in Shodoshima. Yokai Art Museum 398 Ko, Tonosho-cho, Azuma-gun, Kagawa Prefecture 0879-62-0221 mail@meipam.net [What is Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd.] MeiPAM, which cultivates and researches olives, develops and manufactures cosmetics and foods, and sells mail orders in Shodoshima, Setouchi and other areas. Jointly run the Shodoshima Maze Town Art Project. Planning, promoting and managing regional revitalization projects. Company name: Shodoshima Healthy Land Co., Ltd. Address: 2721-1 Ko, Tonosho-cho, Azuma-gun, Kagawa Prefecture President and CEO: Yagyu Toshihiro Established: 1985 Website: https://shl-olive.co.jp/ Details about this release *This email will be sent automatically, so please refrain from replying. Download press release material : .