Ishihara Gojin’s supernatural creatures

Japanese illustrator Ishihara Gōjin takes you on a mysterious journey with his child book illustrations of various supernatural creatures… creatures that are rooted in Japanese myth and which appeared in the 1972 book Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters. They can also be called rather homoerotic, stimulating a world of emotions and evoking almost trancelike fantasies.

'Dream Eating Chimera', image: ese.com

Each of Gōjin’s illustrations tell a peculiar tale. Living in a ’70s post-WWII Japan was a time where nothing felt quite ‘real’ – the transition from the ’60s to ’80s came with a whole paradox of consequences. Gojin’s triggering imagery almost endues a lucid dream, where the dreamer knows he is dreaming.

Ishihara (Japan’s Norman Rockwell) Gōjin is one of the most prolific & interesting illustrators to come out of Japan in the post war period. (Swordsandstitchery)

Here’s a selection of Gojin’s illustration, enjoy!