Monza, at Villa Reale the great exhibition on Yōkai, the Japanese monsters

From April 30 to August 21, 2022, the Villa Reale in Monza is hosting the exhibition Yōkai. The Ancient Prints of Japanese Monsters, curated by Paolo Linetti: a review that brings together woodcuts, rare ancient books, historical clothing, traditional weapons, a samurai armor and the precious Bertocchi collection consisting of 77 netsuke, small ivory sculptures, never before exhibited to the public, to tell the stories of the Yōkai, the ancient Japanese monsters. The exhibition will open with an immersive room that will make visitors relive the experience of the samurai’s most legendary test of courage. Also on display at Villa Reale is a 10-meter-long scroll, also on display for the first time, which tells the story of Shutendoji, a mythological creature (Oni) at the head of an army of monsters that haunted Mount Oe near Kyoto.

The exhibition, conceived and produced by Vertigo Syndrome, under the patronage of the City of Monza, features two hundred works from the 18th and 19th centuries. At the heart of the exhibition is the ritual of the hundred candles, which, inspired by a legendary test of courage initiated by some samurai in the 17th century, moves visitors forward through a narrative designed to stimulate their involvement, not only didactically but also emotionally. The ritual began after the hour of sunset: the samurai would gather in a room lit by the light of a hundred candles. Each samurai would tell a story to the other comrades with the aim of frightening them with tales populated with monsters belonging to Japanese tradition. The Jorogumo, comely women who reveal to their victims their true nature as huge spiders; the Tanuki, cute transforming badgers; the Bakeneko, monstrous cats; the Kappa, aquatic beings, who pester the natal; the Ningyo the Japanese mermaids whose fragrant flesh can give men youth or excruciating death; Okiku, the inconsolable ghost who seeks the tenth dish stolen from her... at the end of the scary story, those who had told it had to get up, blow out the candle of a lantern, take a mirror and mirror themselves in the far corner: the gradual darkening of the room accompanied the telling of increasingly frightening and suspenseful tales.

It is the monsters of these stories, depicted in the magnificent works of the most famous Japanese artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, that embellish the itinerary that will take the visitor on a journey among the spirits, creatures and monsters of Japanese folklore: sometimes grotesque, sometimes mischievous, often and willingly frightening creatures that have always inhabited the collective imagination and daily life of Japanese men and women, all of whom are well aware of coexisting with and coming into contact with these disturbing beings. Yōkai (monsters), Bakemono (shape-shifting monsters), and Yurei (ghosts and returnees) populate the woodcuts in the exhibition, along with dragons, ogres, transforming foxes, fatal werewolf mice, spectres, and vampire toads. Among these Yōkai, the term for which literally means monsters, one encounters Kodama, plant spirits, Omukade (giant, venomous centipedes), immense Kaiju (beasts usually from the sea), Oogumo (calf-sized cave spiders that drain sleepers), transforming foxes, Bakeneko (were-cats-two-tailed mommies), Gama (vampire toads); or the Bakemono, shape-shifting monsters by birth such as the Jorogumo (spider women), Tanuki (badgers) and Kitsune (foxes).

The exhibition, divided into eleven sections, is designed as a journey into the Japanese imagination, and opens with an immersive room that will make the audience relive the experience of the traditional samurai test of courage of the Hundred Candles Ritual. Visitors make their entrance into a totally dark room, lit only by the dim light of one hundred candles that reveals the presence of the works. The candles are then extinguished one by one accompanied by the hoarse voice of an actor impersonating the ghost of an old samurai, who died after going mad from encountering a real monstrous Yōkai in the night. The Hundred Candles Ritual had a great influence on the publishing world. At the Royal Villa there are a number of precious, richly illustrated volumes collecting the legends told on these occasions, as well as an important nucleus of polychrome woodcuts that gave shape to the tales, created by the most famous Japanese artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. Each of these creators specialized in arousing a different feeling in the viewer; this is how Tsukiyoka Yoshitoshi, the last great master of Ukiyo-e, knew how to make the work bloody and terrifying, as in The Killing of Old Tanuki by Naoyuki in Fukujima Palace; Kuniyoshi Utagawa was able to make the scene frightening and visually striking, as in the triptych The Witch Princess Takiyasha and the [Father’s] Skeleton from History of Utö Yasutaka, in which the huge skeleton looms over the entire compositional layout; on the other hand, Chikanobu Yoshu is known for the maximum psychological tension he could infuse into his works, Kyosai Kawanabe for the humorous and grotesque atmosphere, while Kunisada, with his ubiquitous and posed grace, was instead the ideal author to generate empathy toward tragic and romantic protagonists.

The Monza show features an entire section devoted to the Bertocchi collection, which, for the first time, exhibits 77 netsuke, ivory and wood figurines that women of the upper middle class and nobility proudly called “the Japanese buttons,” already known since the 17th century, which were used as an accessory element of kimonos to anchor objects such as containers, purses, snuff boxes and more. The variety of the collection is documented by a wide heterogeneity of specimens: from shishi, talismans in the shape of canid lions that extended life, to oni intent on clinging to an elephant, or a wise old man riding a carp to many more.

The initiative is rounded off with a section produced by the Hop! publishing house, featuring the works of Loputyn, stage name of Jessica Cioffi, the Brescian illustrator followed like a rock star by a lively niche of manga-loving hotaku, who offers six original plates created for the occasion that are inspired by and interpret as many Japanese legends. Each illustration will present a tale and a monster in a contemporary key thanks to its unmistakable style. All six illustrations will create a small volume produced by HOP! and sold exclusively at the exhibition and then never again, effectively becoming a rare collector’s item. A series of collateral events related to the exhibition will enliven the summer months with lectures, workshops, concerts and guided tours. Accompanying the exhibition is a Skira catalog, the exhibition’s publishing partner thanks to the creation and production of a valuable volume featuring large reproductions of the works in the exhibition, the secrets curiosities and legends connected to them, in collaboration with Vertigo Syndrome and with the curatorship of Paolo Linetti.

“After many years of experience and art consulting,” says Chiara Spinnato, founder of Vertigo Syndrome, “I decided to invest in a company that fully reflects my vision, enthusiasm and working methodology. I want to create a mediation between the in-depth knowledge of scholars, the needs of exhibition spaces, and what the exhibition audience really needs: knowledge through the enhancement of fun, learning that is also and above all amazement and rapture. What makes an exhibition stellar is not only what is on display, but also the path the visitor takes within it, which must be tailored specifically for each venue or city that hosts it. It was very important for me to start my company’s journey by producing an exhibition with exceptional content, the result of a great deal of research and collaboration with an expert on Japanese culture like Paolo Linetti. I chose to start from the city where I live, of which I know the history and the wonderful artistic and naturalistic riches, and I believe it has great potential for growth in terms of culture and tourism. The Consorzio Villa Reale e Parco di Monza trusted my experience and I hope this is just the beginning of a stimulating future collaboration.”

“The exhibition, which is the result of a study that brought together art historians, scholars of Japanese folklore and professors of Greek mythology, theology, legends and the history of Western science, will give visitors an in-depth look at the fascinating, bizarre and utterly uncommon creatures that populate Japanese legends,” explains curator Paolo Linetti. “Many of these spirits come directly from the pages of mythology and popular culture, passed down through the generations. Scary creatures with supernatural powers, some evil, some benevolent, some who prefer to live in the wilderness and avoid humans, and others who choose to live near, or among, them. The secrets of this world will be revealed at the Royal Villa in an itinerary collecting prints, ancient books, clothing, weapons, swords, a samurai armor, as well as a never-before-seen core of 77 precious netsuke.”

“We open the doors of Villa Reale to artistic and expressive languages in all their forms,” says Dario Allevi, Mayor of Monza and President of the Consortium of Villa Reale and Park. “It is an interesting journey capable of thrilling the many fans of the distant world of the Samurai. In this case the tradition breaks through the boundaries of legend, supported by in-depth historical documentation. While ranging in a cultural sphere different from ours, I like to emphasize that the organizers of this exhibition have firm roots here in Monza: I thank Vertigo Syndrome, founded only a few months ago, which chose to produce its first exhibition in our city: a nice sign of entrepreneurial ability and intellectual vivacity.”

The exhibition opens Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets: full €10.00, reduced €8.00. Combined ticket Yokai Exhibition + Royal Villa € 15.00. Reduced Schools € 5.00.

Image: Kuniyoshi Utagawa, The witch princess Takiyasha and her father’s skeleton (c. 1844)

Monza, at Villa Reale the great exhibition on Yōkai, the Japanese monsters

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.