Sakaiminato, the small town and fishing port in the very west of Tottori, is the childhood home of Mizuki Shigeru, a manga artist who concentrated a lot on yokai, a term that covers all manner of otherworldly creatures and forces from ghosts and poltergeists to demons and gods.
In his work he revived many of the myriad yokai that have been around Japan for centuries, but he also created some new ones of his own, the most famous being Gegege Kitaro, the character who has featured in big screen movies along with a whole cohort of new yokai.
There is a museum in Sakaiminato dedicated to Mizuki Shigeru and his work, and the street that leads from the train station to the museum has been renamed Mizuki Shigeru Road.
Dozens and dozens of bronze statues of yokai line the street, and I have covered many of them in three earlier posts....
Gallery of Yokai 1,
Gallery of Yokai 2, and
Gallery of Yokai 3.
So in this post, some of the bronze statues I have not posted before, and some of the other yokai artwork along the street...
The first photo shows one of the many streetlamps made to appear like Daddy Eyeball, the father of Gegege no Kitaro. The second photo, in black and white, is Gashadokoro, a yokai from a village in Hiroshima that is the collected resentment of all who died working in the fields. Photo three is a tableau called Kappa Spring and feature a variety of yokai, predominantly kappa.
Photo four is of a couple of stainless steel sculptures with the shape of yokai depicted as a hole. There are many of
this type of sculpture in the park that runs along the beach from Yumeminato Pavilion and Tower. The fifth photo is of ema hanging at Yokai Shrine, not registered with any religion, but said to be a power spot. Sixth photo is of Iju, a yokai from the Niigata area. When given food it carried a mans heavy pack for him.
Number seven is a painting set in the sidewalk depicting a variety of yokai. Sakaiminato has a bunch of manholes with yokai designs that
you can view in this earlier post. Not at all sure what the next painting is of, but it was on the wall outside a shop.
The yokai above is Makuragaeshi, a yokai that moves your pillow while you are asleep.
Numerous stores sell yokai merchandise like the masks above, and even a bakery sells buns with yokai faces and shapes.
The Kubire Oni in the painting above is formed from the malice of people who died by hanging and cause depression and suicidal thoughts in people.
Above is Nononba and a young Mizuki. She lived near to him and introduced him to many yokai stories.
Tsuchikorobi, pictured above, seems to be a harmless yokai that rolls down a hill ahead of you.
Above is Harionago, a beautiful woman with disheveled hair that has hooks at the ends to catch and carry men away.
Above is Kajuu from Nagano, which can walk but not swim....
Above is Iwami no Ushio, a yokai from my region of Iswami. It has the face of a cow and a body of an Earth Spider and attacks people on beaches. Below are a group of small Daddy Eyeballs, and the final picture is of Kajiga Babaa, a yokai from Kochi. A blacksmith's wife got lost at night and was eaten by wolves. Her spirit possessed one of the wolves and began to devour travellers.
Every time I visit Sakaiminato, there are many new yokai sculptures added, so if you have an interest in yokai it is well worth visiting or revisiting.
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