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Home of Yokai

2025

Ink

Chikako sitting curled up against a black wall beneath a large ink painting of dragons, with a cherry blossom branch in a vase beside her

I've been fascinated by yokai (Japanese spirits), mononoke, and ghost stories since I was a child.
Back then, they were just “scary stories” to me — but as I grew older, I came to realize that many of them were actually forms of wisdom and cautionary tales, created to protect people from danger.

Yokai and demons are born from the human heart.
And perhaps, the most terrifying thing of all — is humanity itself.

This project aims to create an exhibition space where these traditional ghost stories can be shared alongside my artworks. The project is currently in progress.

小さい頃から妖怪やもののけ、そして怪談話に惹かれてきました。 当時はただの「怖い話」だと思っていましたが、大人になってから気づいたのは、それらが人々を危険から守るための教訓や知恵のかたちだったということ。 妖怪や鬼は、人間の心が生み出した存在。 そして、最も恐ろしいのは――人間そのものかもしれません。 このプロジェクトでは、そんな怪談の世界を、作品とともに語る展示空間をつくろうとしています。現在も制作を進めています。

Ceramic kitsune mask mounted on a red wall above a hand-painted wooden sign reading 'ようこそ Welcome', with a sake bottle and cherry blossom sprig nearby
Wide view of the exhibition space with black walls hung with framed artwork, a paper lantern floor lamp, and a linen-covered table
Close-up of an in-progress ink illustration being colored with a red pencil, showing a boy in water holding a fish beside a one-eyed scarecrow-like yokai
Ceramic yokai figurine wearing a mushroom cap, seated against a tree stump on a table, with a small red creature sculpture in the background
Three framed ink paintings on a red fabric backdrop depicting yokai scenes: a boy bathing near a scarecrow spirit, a toad-like yokai on a rock, and a skeletal hand looming over cats and an umbrella figure
Small ink and watercolor yokai sketches clipped to a hanging line, including a coiled red dragon, a monkey under a red arc, and a horned creature
Two large ink paintings of fierce Nio-like guardian figures with flowing hair hanging side by side on a black wall

Past Event

Yokai Halloween event poster for Kyuubi Culture x Chikako, October 31, 5-8:30 PM at the Drinkle Building in Saskatoon
'Enter Through the Green Door' Artist in Residence open house flyer for Makerspace, featuring a photo of Chikako smiling
Art residency (2025) by:
Kyuubi Culture logoMakerspace logo