Interview with Matthew Meyer: Author and Illustrator of the Upcoming Book “The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”

For those of you who loved my last article about Japanese folklore, you’re in luck: I recently had the opportunity to do an interview with the talented Matthew Meyer, professional artist and soon to be author and illustrator of the upcoming book The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

Featuring 100 distinct yokai that Matt has researched extensively (both by pouring over Japanese texts and speaking to residents of the Japanese village where he currently lives), this book will offer non-Japanese speakers a peek into the wonderful world of yokai.

But I’ll leave it to Matt to tell you more about his book, the inspiration behind it, and, some fun facts about life in Japan!

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1. Before I talk to you about your upcoming book The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, would you mind telling me a little bit about how you first became interested in Japanese art and culture, and how that interest has impacted you as an artist and as an individual?

Hitotsume Kozou

Like most people my age, I grew up surrounded by pieces of Japanese culture — Nintendo games, Japanese animation, the ninja craze of the 80′s, and Saturday afternoon samurai flicks on TV. I think these sparked an interest in Japan, though I was aware that I was getting a watered-down, American-filtered hybrid culture. Later I studied the art of Japan a bit more in art history classes. When I was in college I also had the opportunity visit Japan on a home stay program for one month, and there I was really able to witness firsthand what would become such a big influence on my life. I was studying illustration at an art school at the time, and the impact and simplicity of Japanese design — especially of the woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th centuries — struck me, and had a profound influence on my art. I knew that I wanted to come back to Japan, and so I did. And I have been living here for over 4 years now.

2. For those who aren’t overly familiar with yokai, could you explain a bit about them, and talk about why you chose to center your book on yokai specifically?

I’ve always been somewhat of a nerd, and interested in history and mythology of different cultures. The monsters of European mythologies — elves, dwarves, ogres, fairies, minotaurs, etc. — are well known to most people, at least indirectly, by the fantasy movies and games that way play. I had studied other cultures’ myths and folkore in school, and I had read many books on African, Native American, and Asian mythologies so I thought I was somewhat familiar with global folklore. But when I came to Japan I noticed that there was this “monster culture” that was completely different from what I was familiar with. I had known about Pokemon, and Godzilla, and things like that, but I had always thought of them as modern inventions without realizing that they had their own ancient roots. There is an entirely different universe of monsters and mythology over here that evolved separately from those of the West, and so it became a sort of an obsession for me to learn as much as I could about this branch of mythology that was almost invisible to the Western world.

3. You are featuring one hundred yokai in your book, each of which will have its own illustration and text (both of which will be created by you). How did you find so many different yokai to feature, and how did you decide which yokai to include in your book?

Well there are hundreds of yokai around. The Japanese Wikipedia lists somewhere close to 400 different types! The more I researched ghost stories and monster stories, and the more authors and story anthologies I came across, the more I was introduced to new monsters I had never heard of before. Eventually I ran out of English sources and had to start reading Japanese stories that had never been translated into English before, and talking to the locals out here in rural Japan who remembered the stories from when they were children, passed down from their grandparents and from who-knows-where before them. So there’s no shortage of yokai. It was actually more of a problem to narrow it down to only 100 (which I had to do out of space constraints for the book). In picking 100, I tried to show a variety of different kinds, as there are many branches of the yokai family tree. I wanted to sample a few examples of each shape and size of yokai that there are.

4. You currently live and work in Japan. Could you talk a little about how Japanese folklore and legend is still a major part Japanese culture, and how that influence manifests itself in everyday life?

The most obvious influence is that parents and grandparents tell these stories to kids, just as in the US kids grow up hearing about Hansel and Gretel, and Cinderella, and so on. Kids in Japan grow up hearing about Onibaba, and Azukiarai, and Kitsune and Tanuki. And there are influences on pop-culture as well. I mentioned Pokemon — a great number of which are just cartoonized beasts lifted straight out of Japanese mythology and given a more modern nickname. Some of the Godzilla universe, Power Rangers characters, and many creatures from Japanese anime are also directly inspired from yokai and old folktales. And then, of course, there are aspects of yokai culture that still exist, unchanged, from their original stories. Temples and shrines, for example, are covered with carvings of Kirin, Baku, Dragons, Houou, Oni, and other spiritual monsters. Some restaurant chains feature yokai beckoning in customers. Many towns even have cartoonified yokai mascots. Wherever you are in Japan, you don’t have to go far to encounter a yokai.

5. How do you feel that living in Japan has impacted the creation of your book? Do you feel that it’s something you could have done while still living in the US, or do you feel that living in Japan and having access to the original texts and artwork centered around yokai has been a vital part of making your book a reality?

I definitely could not have done this book while still living in the US. The amount of English-language material on yokai and Japanese folktales is extremely small. And there isn’t a whole lot of information on the internet even in Japanese; a lot of it has come only from Japanese books, or straight from peoples’ mouths. And of course, artistically, all of my inspiration comes from Japanese artwork, and it helps to be here, living among it.

6. The response to your book so far has been fantastic; your project is over 900% backed on Kickstarter, has 464 backers (at the time of this interview) and reached its original goal of $2000 in only 5 days. What do you think it is about your book that has resonated with so many people?

I’ve been doing paintings of yokai for a few years now, and I’ve discovered that there is a pretty wide yokai fanbase on the internet. People who like yokai tend to really like yokai. They’re cute, funny, ugly, scary, silly, friendly, nasty; and so there’s something for everybody within the yokai world. And I’m sure the fact that there just isn’t that much information available out there works in my favor in this case, as there really isn’t anywhere else where people can find 100 (out of many hundreds!) yokai all in one place.

You can watch Matt’s video about  The Night Parade of
One Hundred Demons by clicking the image above, or by visiting it here.

7. Still, it’s no easy feat to publish a book-especially when you’re the one doing the writing and the illustrations. What has been the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the process so far?

It’s been challenging keeping up the pace necessary to do this project! I had been planning it for about a year before I started it, and after doing a lot of research on publishing, and gathering tons of yokai stories, I “officially” started this project on January 1st of this year, and have been working on it pretty much nonstop, seven days a week, since then, with many sleepless all-nighters in between.

Five years ago, this project wouldn’t have been possible at all. So much of it is anchored in the global society of the Internet. Without self-publishing companies like CreateSpace, I would have had to spend years, perhaps, waiting for a big publisher to approve my manuscript before receiving perhaps a small stipend to begin work on this book. Without patronage project like Kickstarter, I wouldn’t have been able to raise the funds required to print this book. And without social networks like Facebook, I wouldn’t have been able to raise awareness about my project. And of course, all of that is possible thanks to the amazing support from the fans of the book. The most rewarding part is the fact that I am able to even do this project at all. I couldn’t keep up this pace without the kind words and comments, questions, and attention that I have been getting from people who are interested in the project and want to support it. All of you have been able to make this dream come true for me.

8. What do you hope to accomplish with The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons? In addition to those who are already interested in Japanese folklore, do you also hope that your book will spark an interest in those who may not have shown an interest in Japanese folklore before?

As cultures spread around the globe via the Internet, people all around the world are already being influenced by yokai without even knowing it. As people buy up Japanese video games and animation, they are seeing yokai and encountering stories and creatures taken right out of Japanese folklore. Of course I hope that people find this book entertaining and educational, but I also hope it can sort of preserve yokai as the monsters of folklore that they are — so that people will always remember the origins of these fantastic creatures.

9. While you are about to add the title of author to your repertoire, you have been living and working as a professional artist for many years.  Could you tell me a little bit about the inspiration and creative process behind your artwork, along with when you first started to take an interest in painting subjects and themes from Japanese folklore?

Nozuchi

I think at the root of all of my artwork there is a strong cultural and historical element. I have always been fascinated by the histories and folklores of every culture in the world, and as an artist I’ve been exploring these aspects visually for some years. As I mentioned before, the Japanese woodblock prints have played a huge role in influencing my artwork, and I think I first became really aware of Japanese folklore when studying woodblock prints. The printers of the 17th and 18th centuries were some of the world’s first professional illustrators, and their artwork covers many subjects, including folklore. I was really entertained by these ancient monster pictures, and it drove me to research more about them, and to learn what it was I was looking at.

Now for a few fun facts before you go.

10. What is your favorite part about living in Japan, and why?

Visually, Japan is an interesting place to live. Unlike the US, where the oldest buildings are only a couple hundred years old, Japan has architecture going back more than 1000 years. Clothing, too, has a long tradition, and it’s not uncommon to see people wearing kimonos and other traditional clothing that goes back hundreds of years. The designs, colors, and styles are extremely interesting to me as an artist, and I really enjoy being able to witness it firsthand. Especially now, in the summer, when there are festivals with traditions stretching back to ancient times, it can feel like stepping right into the worlds depicted in woodblock prints.

11. Do you have a favorite Japanese myth? A favorite piece of Japanese artwork? If so, what are they, and why?

My favorite myth is what I got the title of my book from: The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, or Hyakki Yakou in Japanese. It tells of a supernatural parade of yokai that can be seen on summer nights, roaming the countryside and killing all who should witness it.

It would be almost impossible to pick one piece of artwork as my favorite. But my wife can testify that I will get lost in a book of Japanese prints, and I can spend hours engrossed in them.

12. If you could give one piece of advice to those reading this interview who love anime and manga but have never given Japanese folklore a try, what would you say to them?

There are good number of public domain books available with Japanese stories in them. Any fan of anime and manga, or Japanese culture in general, owes it to themselves to take a look at them. They are the origin of everything you’ll find in contemporary Japanese culture, and can provide some very interesting insights into what we see being produced today.

13. What is your favorite yokai?

That’s a very hard choice! But I think it would have to come down to the Aoandon, a kind of monster that appears at the end of a long night of telling ghost stories by candlelight. When the final candle is snuffed at the end of the night, the combined fears and energies of all the people in the room are said to congeal into a real ghost, which attacks the storytellers. Fear of the Aoandon has given rise to the tradition of stopping these ghost-story meeting before the final story is told, and everyone going home slightly early!

And lastly…

14. For those who are interested in getting your book or learning more about it, how can they do that? Will they still be able to get a copy even after the pledge on Kickstarter ends?

While the Kickstarter project lasts only until the end of this month [August], the book will be available on Amazon.com in paperback and ebook formats in early 2012. However, the hardcover version is only available to backers of the Kickstarter project, and so anyone who is hoping to get a rare collector’s edition of this book still has a few days left to join!

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A huge thank you to Matt for taking time to do this interview. While the opportunity to support him via Kickstarter is now over, I highly encourage you to check out the project and keep up with its progress so that you can purchase the book when it is out early next year. It is an amazing testament to the work that Matt has put into it, and is a great resource for those of us who love Japanese culture and folklore, but don’t yet speak Japanese.

But if you can’t wait until the book comes out to partake in Matt’s amazing artwork, you can purchase prints of his original artwork from his Etsy shop, and can also learn more about his artwork on his website.

Here’s a sampling of some of the artwork you can purchase from Matt:

Kodama osarusan $24.00	The Shogun osarusan $19.00	Kitsune osarusan $24.00	The Baron osarusan $19.00
The Seven Lucky God… osarusan $24.00	The Emperor osarusan $19.00	Tengu osarusan $24.00	The Legionnaire osarusan $19.00
The Crusader osarusan $19.00	Kirin osarusan $24.00	The Viking osarusan $19.00	The Robber Baron osarusan $19.00
Inari osarusan $24.00	The Aztec osarusan $19.00	The Pharaoh osarusan $19.00	Isonade osarusan $24.00

Love what you see? You can also follow Matt on Twitter and Facebook, and I’ll be sure to update this article when Matt’s book is available for purchase.

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