“Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto” Photo Report: A Journey Back to the Edo Period and Against the System

Last exhibition in the museum in Japan?

Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art celebrates its 90th anniversary with a solo exhibition of contemporary artist Takashi Murakami (1962-), Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto. The exhibition is scheduled to run from February 3 through September 1, 2024, at the Higashiyama Cube.

In 2000, Murakami proposed the concept of “Superflat” as a form of contemporary culture that refers to the state of Japanese society by combining traditional Japanese art with the flatness of anime and manga, which enormously impacted the international contemporary art scene. This is the first large-scale solo exhibition of Murakami’s work in Japan in approximately eight years. In addition to the exhibition taking place in Kyoto, a special place in the Japanese art and culture scene, there are also rumors that this may be his last solo exhibition at a museum in Japan. Murakami’s use of the hometown tax system to fund the production, the launch of a YouTube channel at the last minute, and the artist’s posts on social media saying that he was “not yet ready” for the show left the fans unsure of what would happen next. However, despite the difficulties, the exhibition opened its doors on February 3, as scheduled.

There are two major aspects of this exhibition that are groundbreaking. The first is, of course, the content. Murakami, who majored in Japanese painting at university and has drawn on various designs and artistic styles in the history of Japanese art, has once again confronted masterpieces from the Edo period and reinterpreted them to suit the contemporary aesthetic.

The second is the artist’s action against the “system” surrounding culture and money. To realize a major exhibition within the limited budget of a public museum, Murakami thoroughly researched the hometown tax system and secured production costs by offering appealing tax returns - limited edition collectible trading cards(*). A lack of budget constantly burdens the Japanese art system, but Murakami has taken the initiative to propose an alternative way out of the problem.

*On February 6, it was announced that all trading cards had been distributed to the first 50,000 visitors.

Reimagined scenes in and around Kyoto

The first chapter, “Scenes in and around Mononoke Kyoto,” introduces us to the centerpiece of this exhibition - Rakuchu Rakugai Zu Matabei Iwasa rip (2023-24).

National Treasure Rakuchu Rakugai Zu Byobu, also known as Scenes In and Out Kyoto, painted by Matabei Iwasa in the 17th century, depicts a bird’s-eye view of Kyoto’s urban and suburban landscapes and customs. For this exhibition, Murakami has reimagined the timeless masterpiece as Rakuchu Rakugai Zu Matabei Iwasa rip, which is 13 meters long and is three to four times the size of the original.

Rakuchu Rakugai Zu was commissioned by the museum, and a special project team was formed to research and create it. Although some parts are still unfinished, Murakami writes in the “excuse” painting, “It was quite a challenge, but we got it to the point where it looks the best it can at the moment!” Murakami’s original characters merge with the streets of Kyoto and the people of the past, and if you look closely, you can see the skull motif appearing on the gold leaf clouds. “Memento mori” is a Western concept, but death and the afterlife are simultaneously present in this opulent and vibrant work. This is truly the world of “mononoke.”

The same room also features Murakami’s take on the works of Ogata Korin and Rinpa School.

Another interesting feature of the exhibition is the presence of “excuse” paintings and other explanations of the works, written in speech balloons and resembling an audio commentary by the artist. It feels as if Murakami is trying to give the viewer as much context as possible, explaining the work’s motifs and background. There are several unfinished works in this exhibition, but it is refreshing to see how he has taken a situation normally considered “negative” and turned it into a positive source of entertainment and even a work of art.

Four guardians of Kyoto

The second chapter, “Four Symbols and Hexagonal Double-Helix Tower,” features large paintings of the four deities (mythological creatures) that guard the four cardinal directions - the Blue Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North. In the center of the room stands a Hexagonal Double-Helix Tower (Rokkaku Rasendo), a sculpture symbolizing a Rokkakudo Temple in Kyoto, whose bell tower was used to warn the city of calamities. In addition to the golden skull sculpture, Dragon Heads-Gold, skull patterns can be found on the walls and floor of this room.

This room is Murakami’s homage to Kyoto’s rich history - from the Heiankyo era, when the capital was built in a grid pattern, through the modernization of the Taisho and Showa periods, the Pacific War, to the present day as Japan’s cultural capital.

Superflat and Rinpa School

The third chapter, “DOB’s Journey,” focuses on the character DOB, created by Murakami in the 1990s, and refers to the concept of “Superflat,” which ties the flatness of traditional Japanese painting, manga, and anime to the post-war Japanese society.

Chapter four, “The Wind God and Thunder God Wonderland,” features works through which Murakami sought to emulate the “eccentric” style of Rinpa School painters, including Korin Ogata and Sotatsu Tawaraya. Exhibition’s curator, Shinya Takahashi, describes the gods as “rather frail-looking, but seemingly more powerful than anything depicted in the past.”

Another highlight is a Dragon in Clouds—Red Mutation: The version I painted myself in annoyance after Professor Nobuo Tsuji told me, “Why don’t you paint something yourself for once?” (2010). This eighteen-meter-long work, in which Murakami took up the challenge of reinterpreting Shohaku Soga’s dragon, is being shown for the first time in Japan.

The Lion and Takashi Murakami (2023-24) is an enchanting work with a beautifully detailed scene depicting cherry blossoms, a Chinese guardian lion, and Mukarami’s signature motifs. In the “excuse” pop-up, Murakami describes it as “fully packed like Makunouchi bento” and mentions that an enthusiastic collector commissioned it. This way, the exhibition masterfully illustrates the art ecosystem behind the artworks, including the interactions with the collectors who financially support the artists.

Latest trends of Takashi Murakami

The fifth chapter, “Tales of Mononoke Play,” introduces the artist’s latest trends. Among the highlights is the result of Murakami’s collaboration with RTFKT, a brand specializing in creating digital fashion, on the CLONE X project. In addition, on display are the early characters, such as Hiropon (1997) and My Lonesome Cowboy (1998), updated as paintings and sculptures from the perspective of NFT art - the explicit sexual depictions of the earlier works have been replaced by a more fresh and contemporary look. Although the two-dimensional works appear to have been produced digitally, they are, in fact, the result of Murakami’s “magnificent technique” (as described by Takahashi) in which digital images are redrawn by hand as paintings.

108 Murakami. Flowers Collectible Trading Card 2023 (2023-24) is a series of 40cm paintings produced in parallel with trading cards depicting the same motifs. The naming 108 derives from the number of “bonno,” or earthly temptations.

The final chapter, “Gozan-kun and the Chronicles of the Ancient Capital,” features 2020 The Name Succession of Ichikawa Danjuro XIII, Hakuen, Kabuki Juhachiban (2020), new works with maiko motifs, and other works related to the city of Kyoto.

As expected, the goods section at the end of the exhibition is also packed with fun and unique items - from stickers and stuffed toys to fashion items with original characters.