Kappa water sprites, tengu mountain goblins, shape-shifting animals, and a panoply of other fantastic creatures known as yōkai have long haunted Japanese folklore and are now popular characters in manga, anime, film and computer games. This presentation by Michael Dylan Foster, associate professor of Folklore and East Asian languages and cultures at Indiana University and co-curator of MONSTERS!, will broadly introduce the concept of yōkai–often translated as monster, spirit, or supernatural creature–and explore the varied roles such figures have played within Japanese culture and history. Foster is the author of Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yōkai and The Book of Yōkai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore, as well as numerous articles on folklore, literature, and media. The event is free and open to the public.
Cost: Free
For more information contact:
Judith Kirk
(812) 855-6873
[email protected]