“Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA” Closes with Over 80,000 Visitors; Kyushu Debut Brought Yokai Paintings to Life in Video and Sculpture at the Reimeikan

The “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA” closed on Monday, August 31, 2026 at the Reimeikan, Kagoshima Prefectural Center for History and Art, in Kagoshima City. The exhibition presents yokai painted by artists of the Edo and Meiji periods and other eras through 3DCG, projection mapping and sculpture. At the venue, billed as the exhibition’s first in Kyushu, attendance exceeded 80,000 during the run that began on July 3. HITOHATA, INC., which planned and produced the exhibition, announced the figure on September 11.

*Disclosure: The “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA” is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE, together with TV Aichi (About us).

Attendance growth: from 30,000 to 80,000

During the run, the milestones of 30,000 visitors on August 12 and 60,000 on August 20 were announced, each marked by a commemorative ceremony. The 60,000th visitor received the official catalogue and yokai kibidango. After the close, on September 11, it was announced that the exhibition had ended with more than 80,000 visitors (all figures from the organizers).

Eight days passed between the announcement of the 30,000 milestone and that of the 60,000 milestone. Anticipating crowds on weekends and holidays, during the Obon period and toward the end of the run, the organizers had recommended visiting on weekdays or in the first half of the run.

The first venue in Kyushu, in the same gallery as the 2024 ukiyo-e exhibition

Kagoshima was the yokai exhibition’s third venue, following Nagoya (2025) and Tokyo (March–June 2026), and its first in Kyushu. The venue, Special Exhibition Room 1, also hosted the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA” from July 19 to September 1, 2024 (according to press materials of September 23).

It was organized by MBC Minami-Nippon Broadcasting. Its supporters included Kagoshima Prefecture, Kagoshima City and their boards of education and the Minami-Nippon Shimbun, as well as RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, NBC Nagasaki Broadcasting, Kumamoto Broadcasting, OBS Oita Broadcasting System, MRT Miyazaki Broadcasting and Ryukyu Broadcasting.

What was on display? From the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons to tsukumogami

The subjects included the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” scrolls and “One Hundred Ghost Stories,” as well as oni, tengu, kappa and tsukumogami. The exhibition recreated the world of yokai by combining 3DCG, projection mapping and video on holographic screens with sculptures.

Beyond the video, it also offered explanations of yokai culture and of yokai paintings, caricatures and yokai art. The explanations were prepared with the cooperation of the Nishio City Iwase Bunko (Aichi Prefecture), described in the press materials as “Japan’s first museum of old books,” and the Yokai Art Museum on Shodoshima (Kagawa Prefecture), and the National Museum of Japanese History was also listed as a special cooperator. According to the organizers, the exhibition was structured to unravel the culture and history of yokai, which connect to today’s pop culture.

Over 300,000 visitors across three venues, and a Good Design Award

The yokai exhibition drew a cumulative total of more than 300,000 visitors across its three venues in Nagoya, Tokyo and Kagoshima (announced September 11). On October 15, it was also announced that the exhibition had received a 2026 Good Design Award (details of the award). The next showing had not been announced as of October 19.

Editor’s perspective

The venue chosen for the first showing in Kyushu was the Reimeikan, the prefecture’s center for history and art. The exhibition followed the ukiyo-e exhibition held there in 2024, and from November the Gifu City Museum of History becomes the venue for the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU.” Public cultural facilities continue to serve as tour venues for immersive exhibitions.

The Aomori and Hiroshima venues of the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition,” held the same summer, featured venue-exclusive spaces introducing ukiyo-e that depict their localities. By contrast, no content exclusive to the Kagoshima venue of the yokai exhibition is indicated in the press materials or on the official page. In the yokai exhibition, the explanations prepared with the cooperation of libraries and museums in various regions served to link the video experience with knowledge of yokai art.

Overview

Name: Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA
Dates: Friday, July 3 – Monday, August 31, 2026
Hours: 9:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30; from 10:00 on July 3)
Closed: Monday, July 6, Monday, July 13, Tuesday, July 21, Monday, July 27, Monday, August 3, Monday, August 10, Monday, August 17, Monday, August 24, Tuesday, August 25
Venue: Special Exhibition Room 1, Reimeikan, Kagoshima Prefectural Center for History and Art
Address: 7-2 Shiroyamacho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Admission: Same-day: adults 1,700 yen, junior high, high school and university students 1,000 yen, elementary school students 700 yen, preschool children free (advance: 1,500 yen, 800 yen and 500 yen respectively; prices during the run)
Attendance: Over 80,000 (organizer’s figures)
Organizer: MBC Minami-Nippon Broadcasting
Special cooperation: Nishio City Iwase Bunko (Aichi Prefecture), Yokai Art Museum (Shodoshima, Kagawa Prefecture), National Museum of Japanese History
Planning and production: HITOHATA, INC., TV Aichi
Official website: https://www.yokaiimmersive.com/kagoshima
*Information as of October 19, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

For Japan’s representative yokai and yokai art by the Night Parade scrolls, Toriyama Sekien, Hokusai, Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi, see Famous Japanese Yokai and Masterpieces of Yokai Art.

*Top image: Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA (from a press release by HITOHATA, INC.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from HITOHATA, INC. (September 11, 2026, and others) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: The “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition KAGOSHIMA” is an event planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE, together with TV Aichi (About us).

The latest information on events produced by HITOHATA, INC. is available on HITOHATA, INC.’s event information page. Inquiries about hosting or co-organizing the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” and the “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition” are accepted through the company’s inquiry form.