THAT IS GOOD

In this article, I would like to write about the present and future of yokai in subculture, a direct continuation from the previous article.

Yokai boom

Thanks to Mizuki’s works, yokai became established as characters in manga and anime, and led to several “yokai booms” during the Showa and Heisei periods. One of the most recent examples is “Amabie-sama”.Amabie is a Japanese yokai that is said to have originally appeared in the sea in Higo Province, present-day Kumamoto Prefecture, in May 1846.It is said that Amabie made phenomena such as shining lights from under the sea and made predictions about good harvests and plagues. However, its catchy appearance and its ability to ” ward off plague” became a topic of conversation, and it quickly spread as an Internet meme. Various goods were also sold to take advantage of this. I think this is a good example of how the spread of COVID-19 and people’s wish for healing from the plague has infused the ancient yokai with renewed energy.

Before that, there was the “Yo-Kai Watch” boom that started in 2014.Originally developed on the premise of a media mix, it has been developed across a variety of genres, including toys/collectibles, anime, games, and comics, and has become a huge boom.In “Yo-Kai Watch,” they are completely new characters, such as “Dismarelda (japanese : Donyorinu)”, who causes a bad atmosphere, and “Why Naant (japanese : Nandenan),” who questions everything. These new yokai, which are created at will, truly symbolize the culture of today and the culture of the main target audience, elementary school students.On the other hand, the already existing yokai characters such as “Boyclops (Japanese: Hitotsume-kozo)”, “Faux Kappa (Japanese: Kappa),”and”Gnomey (Japanese: Zashiki-warashi)” are categorized as “Classic Yokai” and appear in the work.Both Sekien and Mizuki created their own new yokai while searching for them in the classics and folklore.The yokai created by the artists of each era are a reflection of the state of the world at that time, and can be an important source of information for future generations.Tradition lives on with layers of information constantly being updated by the “present”.On the other hand, traditions that are not updated with the times will be difficult to pass on to future generations.

The style of collecting yokai/monsters was established with the release of “Pokémon” in 1996. Although it is called a “monster”, the cute design and the style of summoning them from a monster ball give it a spirit-like image. There were reports that “Pokémon Go” was banned in Muslim countries because it “promotes idolatry” and “violates the commandments. (Actually, only the Pokémon card game was banned, because it looked like gambling, and “Pokémon Go” could be played in Muslim countries) I think the reason why people accepted the report so much was because they had the impression that Pokémon represented the embodiment of supernatural power.

The magazine “Kai,” first published by the World Association of Yokai in 1997, also had an impact on the subculture world.With Shigeru Mizuki, Hiroshi Aramata, Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Katsumi Tada, Kenji Murakami, and other top figures in the subculture of yokai knowledge as the main authors, a series of novels, essays, and picture scrolls on the theme of yokai were published.I love the Kyogokudo series by Natsuhiko Kyogoku. In a word, it’s a detective mystery novel with a theme of yokai. And maybe you think “What’s that?” However the book is not only a mystery story, but the knowledge of ancient and modern yokai packed into the more than 1000 pages at times is very valuable as a resource.

Although it is a bit niche to call it a boom, the “Yokai Netsuke” series cannot be ignored when talking about the achievements of Yokai in the modern subculture.The “Yokai Netsuke” are capsule toys ( called “gashapon” in japanese) of yokai designed by Takayuki Takeya (“Takeya studio” to be exact), the god of subculture modeling.The fact that Takeya’s very precise sculptures are available for only 300 yen makes me think, “Isn’t the price too low? I was surprised at the high level of Japanese subculture.The fact that yokai have become a part of the Gashapon subculture shows that there is a strong base of acceptance for spirits and yokai in Japan.

The Future of Yokai

Finally, through my work, I would like to talk about the part of “Past and Future of Nippon Subculture” from the present to the future.The NamelessOnes series is a series of art figures that I’ve been working on, and I consider them to be “spirits of the present”. The modeling is carried out by CG, and with the cooperation of Mimaki Singapore, it is formed by a full-color 3D printer.In terms of design, we try to create a kawaii/kitschy style of modeling that is in line with the popular art toy (collectible toy) market in Asia, while retaining the detailed modeling that takes advantage of the characteristics of CG.As a “post-digital artist”, my goal is to maximize the features of the digital devices I use when creating my works. One of the main features of Mimaki’s full-color 3D printer is that it can use full-color ink and transparent ink (the material for 3D printing) at the same time. In order to show this feature as a shape, we designed all the detailed full-color parts to be embedded in the transparent body.

The NamelessOnes series

I think that a ningen(human being)/artist is a host of energy.The energy to create art comes from some other dimension. Some call it spirit power, some call it divine revelation, some just call it inspiration, it depends on the environment and culture you are in.The energy is abstract, but the artist, as a host, can give form and direction to it.The form of dependency is different for each individual. It depends on various factors such as personal taste, ideology, culture they grew up in, religious background, and the people around them.Therefore, the artworks that emerge through the different forms of dependency take on diverse characteristics and become a reflection of the artist’s “individual” self.

One of my forms of dependency is Japanese subculture.It is not only a modern subculture, but I believe that there is a vast cultural context behind it that goes back to the Jomon period, as I have written about in this series. As I mentioned above, in order for culture, tradition, and spirits to be passed onto future generations, they need to be constantly updated with the times. By combining technology and art, and adding a subculture background to it, I am trying to pass on the richness of Japanese culture to future generations, and contribute to a culture where people will still talk about yokai and spirits a thousand years from now (in my opinion).

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Profile

After having experience of 3D graphics and animation at Tokyo Institute of Technology creative laboratory, and Gonzo Co., Ltd., Taketo started his own project as an artist. Using digital technology like CG, 3D printing as his “brush”, Taketo creates a wide variety of artworks from 3D printed sculpture to animation. In a collaboration project XSENSE, Taketo utilizes CGI in street art to create murals(Denver, CO, USA), also using his unique style animation for stage design and collaborated with contemporary Noh theatrical group. In addition to creating his own artworks, Taketo curates the group art show “ARTs of JOMON” hosted by Japanese non-profit JOMONISM, keep introducing contemporary artists/artworks influenced by ancient Japanese Jomon culture.(Aomori Museum of Art / Spiral Garden / Denver International Airport / Kuala Lumpur)
It is Taketo’s mission to make invisible things, emotions, energy, next dimensions of consciousness into “shapes”.

Project/Art history(excerpt)
PROJECTS Digital G-O-D, UltraSuperNew gallery, Singapore, Jan 2020
Haw Par Villa RE•MIX
Chinese Cultural Centre, Singapore , Jan 2020
”Light to Night Festival” Projection mapping at Asian Civilization Museum, Singapore , Jan 2020
A SIGN OF THE TIMES EXHIBITION, Singapore , Jan 2019
”ARTｓ of JOMON” exhibit ＠ISETAN KL, Malaysia , Aug 2017, curation&direction
“Colorado Crush”, a mural festival in Denver, CO. Sept 2016, created artwork
“DMS” Collaboration with Canon June 2015, created&exhibited 3D printed prosthetic leg
”Oakley Exhibition” Exhibited artworks at Oakley store Harajuku, Tokyo, Oct 2014
AWARDS “Eisen Herz” Ufab Global Creative award Finalist. 2016. 3D printed cover for “Tamiya mini 4WD” using generative design
“More Than Human type-Unicorn” a 3D printed prosthetic leg. Ufab Global Creative award Finalist. 2015
“SC1-EXP” Zushi International Projection Mapping Competition, Grand Prix. 2014
“Yakushi-Nyorai”(2013)
3DCG model for 3D printing. Winning work at Digital modeling competition held by Japan Society for Graphic Science
Original CG animation ‘Matsuri’(May 2010)
Design, modeling, production coordination. A CG animation based on Japanese ‘Jomon’ culture. Created for promotion of Aomori Prefecture. Accepted at Siggraph Asia 2010. (On VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/25144961)

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