Yō

Watercolor. Clean your bath or it will be cleaned by the poisonous saliva of this yokai! お風呂をちゃんと掃除しないと、垢舐めが現れてしまう！ Hanae Rivera.

Watercolor. Paying no mind to a little water, with fairy friends. Hanae Rivera.

Watercolor. A mysterious tsukumogami yokai with a flaming iron pot on its head. I’ve never seen it depicted relating to weather but I’ve been imagining myself huddled up with his flaming iron pot helmet/head & thick fur pelt all winter ❄️. 釜の頭とむくじゃらの毛皮で、暖かそうに見えない？鳥山石燕の妖怪画集『百器徒然袋』に登場。 Hanae Rivera.

Watercolor. On Setsubun 節分 we welcome spring & chase out bad spirits. Often, dad or uncle will dress up like the oni and the kids can throw beans at him. Hanae Rivera.

Watercolor. Her myth exists in many forms & changed immensely even during antiquity. Was she a monster, a victim, a beauty, or all 3? Today, many see Medusa, whether maidenly victim of Poseidon or terrifying Gorgon from birth, as a symbol of feminine strength & defiance. メデューサ、眠りか死。これは最も魅力的な神話の一つです。古代から変え続けてきました。メデューサは怪物だったのでしょうか？犠牲者？美人？その全てだったのでしょうか？現在、彼女は女性の強さと反抗の象徴となっています。 Hanae Rivera.

Mixed media, print & ink. Hanae Rivera.

Oil pastel. Among the most warmly & widely-embraced creatures of modern lore, Santa’s ladies are only 200 years old and arguably American in origin, as one only makes its first official appearance with Santa in a 1821 NY magazine. The full team of 8 appeared 2 years later in the famous “Twas the Night Before … Read more

Print. Hanae Rivera.

Watercolor. Witch familiars are a relatively recent addition to witch lore, becoming a popular proof of association with the Devil during the witch trials. He or another witch would have gifted the accused with a cat, a toad, a weasel, a rat… to help with dark work & suckle at her “3rd teat” (could be … Read more

Watercolor. In Japan’s sweltering summer season, all creatures look forward to night. That’s when we meet our friends, celebrate, dance. This includes yokai. There are at least a few bakeneko in my neighborhood. I catch sight of their shadows, shimmying, swaying. But, when I round the corner, there’s only a regular stray. It gives me … Read more