A journey among the imaginary worlds of 19th-century Japanese illustrated literature led by Cristian Pallone, professor of Japanese language and literature at the University of Bergamo, and Paola Scrolavezza, Paola Scrolavezza professor of Japanese culture and literature at the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Bologna.

An opportunity to reveal a side of the floating world unknown to many.

 

The meeting is within the series of meetings. “Beyond the Border – Journey into the supernatural world of Japanese folklore and its contemporary reinterpretations,” a series of meetings organized by NipPop and Vertigo Syndrome within the exhibition Yōkai – Ancient Japanese Monster Prints.

Event organized in collaboration with the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna and the Cultural Association NipPop.

Japan, Reiwa Era

In these times of frenzy and disillusionment, less and less space is given to the reverence towards the world of mysteries and thrills that were once experienced during twilight. However, thanks to the indomitable search for emotions that is typical of human beings, legends and myths that fuel fear of the supernatural continue to survive. And as long as humans feel FEAR, Yōkai will exist in the world!

Moreno Mopollas Pollastri, creator of the role-playing game ‘Yōkai’ and tireless guide of visitors into the monstrous world of adventure, will be present at the exhibition to give anyone who desires a monstrous adventure. If you have never wondered what you would do in the shoes of a Kappa with a monkey’s face or inside the sensual shape-shifting body of a Kitsune, this could be the perfect opportunity to see what you are capable of. If you’re looking for adventure, come and play with us. Run, fight, and plot diabolical plans, surrounded by the most monstrous works of the Edo period.

Yōkai! is a role-playing game that allows players to embody a series of monsters belonging to Japanese mythology.

Come and play at the exhibition and experience an adventure with an exceptional Master: the creator of the game, Moreno Pollastri!

Japanese cinema is a world apart. He manages to blend the delicacy of landscape paintings or the essential sharpness of haiku with the tradition of courage, of samurai loyalty. Japanese cinema thus gives the world the essential and rigorous films of Ozu, the melodramas of Mizoguchi, the powerful cinema of Kurosawa.

But also the erotic obsession of Oshima’s Empire of the Senses, to the grotesque ferocity of Kitano’s films. But there is also the light and poetic animation cinema of Miyazaki, and there is the social fresco with which Kore-eda won the Cannes Film Festival. And there is Japan in the cinema of others: the Japan told by Wim Wenders in Tokyo-ga, or the one told by Sofia Coppola in Lost in Translation.

There is the Japan of the war with the United States recounted in a thousand films, there is the sacrifice of suicide bombers, but also the heroism of soldiers defending only honor in Clint Eastwood’s “The Battle of Iwo Jima.” And there is the Japan of the mute teenage girl starring in the latest episode of Inarritu’s “Babel.” And French director Alain Resnais’ reflection on Hiroshima in “Hiroshima, mon amour.” A thousand different faces of a fascinating world.

 

Giovanni Bogani is an internationally renowned film critic, and on June 3 he will take us on a journey to discover the cinema of the Land of the Rising Sun. A unique opportunity for film lovers and the curious.

Ikebana is the Japanese art of arranging flowers and plant elements according to particular aesthetic and symbolic criteria.

It is stimulating to imagine a connection between this discipline and the imagery associated with the world of the Yōkai. Hence the idea of telling through this ancient art Heroes, Oni, Kitsune and other “monstrous” beings animate the colorful Japanese imagination.

Using ikebana’s own aesthetic canons of balance and beauty, it then becomes an opportunity to delve into the fascinating connection of the Japanese people with nature that underlies the legendary stories told through the ancient prints on display in the exhibition.

 

Marco Ryōen Di Marco, III Master and “Senmon” teacher of the Tokyo-based Ohara School of Ikebana and author of the text “Ikebana Unveiled” (published by Rizzoli), through a practical demonstration of some of the most representative expressions compositions of the Ohara School, will take viewers on a journey into the beauty of the art of “living flowers.”

The Yōkai exhibition hosts the presentation of Silvia Casini’s book “The Enchanted Kitchen,” published by Trenta Editore, which collects incredible recipes from Hayao Miyazaki’s films.

Gastronomy and cinema are two worlds capable of offering unique and indescribable sensory experiences. One who has fully understood this philosophy is master Hayao Miyazaki, whose stories have succeeded in enchanting young and old alike. And if there is one thing that is never missing in his feature films, it is the relationship between the characters and food. “The Enchanted Kitchen” features a series of recipes from the great director’s films in three tantalizing variations.

Following the success of “The Enchanted Kitchen, The Cookbook of Hayao Miyazaki’s Films,” the volume returns in an updated version, with illustrations by Manuel Terriaca and the addition of one last feature film, rounding out the work of the famous Japanese director. Lots of recipes for all tastes, all with an incredibly “Miyazakian” flavor.

So prepare your mouths to water with the sizzling bacon from “Howl’s Wandering Castle” and the Siberia cake from “The Wind Rises.” At the end of the meeting, signacopies with the author.