Morikami Explores The Supernatural

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is exploring the strange and supernatural with “Yōkai: Scenes of the Supernatural in Japanese Woodblock Prints,” on view through Aug. 30. The exhibition features 90 woodblock prints and illustrated books spanning more than 250 years, revealing the ghosts, demons and shape-shifting creatures that have long inhabited Japanese art and folklore.

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Yōkai — a broad term for supernatural beings in Japanese folklore that includes mischievous spirits, monsters and ghosts — have long appeared in folklore, theater and literature. The exhibition features works by celebrated figures such as Katsushika Hokusai and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, whose dramatic and sometimes humorous visions of demons and ghosts continue to influence manga and anime today.

The exhibition also includes a special Yōkai Day on July 18, when Morikami will host a full slate of family-friendly programming inspired by the supernatural theme. Activities include hands-on yōkai craft projects, a scavenger hunt through the gardens, kamishibai folktale storytelling and a trunk show with block print artist Brian Reedy. The day also features two screenings of the animated classic “Spirited Away,” connecting historical folklore with its modern cinematic legacy.

For more information, call 561-495-0233 or visit morikami.org.

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