Macabre kids’ book art by Gojin Ishihara
Here is a collection of wonderfully weird illustrations by Gōjin Ishihara, whose work graced the pages of numerous kids' books in the 1970s. The first 16 images below appeared in the "Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters" (1972), which profiled supernatural creatures from Japanese legend. The other illustrations appeared in various educational and entertainment-oriented publications for children.
- Kappa (river imp), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Jorōgumo (lit. "whore spider"), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Kubire-oni (strangler demon), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Rokurokubi (long-necked woman), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Onmoraki (bird demon), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Nekomata (cat monster), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Tengu (bird-like demon), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Tenjō-sagari (ceiling dweller), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Enma Dai-Ō (King of Hell), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Kyūbi no kitsune (nine-tailed fox), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Baku (dream-eating chimera), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Yūrei (ghost), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Yamasei (mountain sprite), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Rashōmon no oni (ogre of Rashōmon Gate), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Waira (mountain-dwelling chimera), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Nure-onna (snake woman), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
- Hell of Repetition (Illustrated Book of Hell, 1975)
- Burning Hell (Illustrated Book of Hell, 1975)
- Demons of the Orient (The Complete Book of Demons, 1974)
- The appearance of Satan (The Complete Book of Demons, 1974)
- Gorgon (Illustrated Book of World Monsters, 1973)
- Aliens in ancient Japan (Mysteries of the World, 1970)
- Alien (Mysteries of the World, 1970)
- Emergency Command 10-4 10-10 (sonosheet book, 1972)
- Emergency Command 10-4 10-10 (sonosheet book, 1972)
- Kaiketsu Lion-Maru (sonosheet book, 1972)
- Kaiketsu Lion-Maru (sonosheet book, 1972)
- Prehistoric man as modern-day baseball player (Prehistoric Man, 1970)
- Prehistoric man as modern-day wrestler (Prehistoric Man, 1970)
- Prehistoric man as modern-day security guard (Prehistoric Man, 1970)
- The secretary who spied for 18 years (from Spy Wars)
- World's biggest glutton (World's Greatest Wonders, 1971)
- Precognition of plane crash (Mysteries of the Body, 1973)
- Nostradamus (Psychics of the World, 1974)
- Frozen planet (Year X: End of the World, 1975)
Dark star gravity (Year X: End of the World, 1975)
[Link: Gōjin Fechi]
Bravo!!
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Even with all the cool monsters and ghosts, the glutton may be my favorite. These are fantastic, thank you!
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Wow! A stunning collection of pictures.
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repetition hell omfg wtf
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absolutely breathtaking! thank you.
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Marvellous work, Can you please tell me who is the author of the illustrated book of japanese monsters, 1972 ?
thank you very much in advance
cheers
-MB-
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The author is 佐藤 有文 (Sato Arifumi) and the Japanese title is 日本妖怪図鑑 (nihon youkai zukan). The book is out of print, but you can find secondhand copies at Amazon Japan.
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Hey, please, can you help me to track down this book called "illustrated Book of Hell" ??
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The book is out of print, but you can find secondhand copies at Amazon Japan.
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This is a great collection of pics indeed, but more references of each, such as authors and more info on the works it depicts would be of great help.
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Sounds kinda lame, but I'm 100% sure that Rumiko Takahashi probably got a lot of her ideas from these illustrations. She is the creator of the anime 'Inuyasha' I see A LOT of the same characters.
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Those are monsters from traditional Japanese folklore and come from much older books, actually. They've all been used hundreds of times in Japanese culture.
Inuyasha borrows most of its monsters and characters from mythology, but also changes them significantly. Usually for the worse, to be honest...
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Great post - as usual - lots of great (and yes... macabre) artwork. I had to laugh with the "the secretary who spied for 18 years".... now that is just gratuitous!
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Simply amazing - thanks for putting them up!!
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For those of you who didn't know, there are two Pokemon-inspirations in the list!
Ninetails
In-game, it is considered to have bewitching abilities, learning moves like Will-O-Wisp and Ghost-Type moves. Kyūbi no kitsune, like Ninetales, are said to be many-tailed foxes, that can breathe fire, create illusions, and have extremely long lifespans. The "Tales" suffix in Ninetales is likely a reference to this lore.
- Kyūbi no kitsune (nine-tailed fox), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
and
Drowzee
Originally, they were chimeras, but later became tapirs — pig-like animals with small trunks from South America and Southern Asia. It was this later incarnation of the mythical creature which inspired the Tapir-like Drowzee and its signature move "Dream Eater."
- Baku (dream-eating chimera), Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters, 1972
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Chidren's books? They really do read weird stuff. On the Nure-onna illustration, the guy and Nure-onna look more like flirting with each other, don't you think?
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Amazing as usual mr tentacle of the pink variety
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Wtf is going on in the background of the glutton? Seriously wtf?!?!?
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I love Ishishara's work! We used to have the book that the first several illustrations came from.
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i wish i had cool books like that growing up
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Japanese aliens are absolutely awesome, and all monsters too. I fell in love with all of this illustrations.
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Wow. The kyuubi and some monsters seen in Naruto are here. What does the 9 tailed fox represent in Japanese lore?
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wow. that is fucking awesome.
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Wow, the most amazing and special visuals I've seen online as of late - thank you for sharing! what else did this artist do? what does he do today? where to buy his art? another post like that would be fun!
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Amazing pictures, but they are freaking scary...
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Wow! thanks for posting these!
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I saw you said this book is no longer in print but I was wondering if theres anything similar to this or possibly containing the same art that is in print?
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OMG! This is awesome. Thank you!
Could I buy this book online?
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Flower monster looks more funny than scary...is that from traditional Japanese folklore, or did the author just make that up?
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Totally amazing!
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fucking awesome!
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Incredible!
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not as complex as disney's themes though haha
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scary yet interesting....
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Just checked Amazon Japan... ￥17,000 ($200.00) for a "barely passable" (可) used copy and ￥79,200 ($930.00) for a "good condition" (良い) used copy... I'm tempted to scoop up the cheap one before I move back to the U.S., as it would be quite a unique souvenir.
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why are so many of the characters white (non-asian)?
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I love this artwork. Such rich dark imagery. When it comes to demons and monsters there is no greater source than the Japanese culture. Gojin Ishihara is my new illustrative Hero !
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wonderful - this is opening up a whole world
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