The Yokai Art Museum on Shodoshima has announced the results of its visitor-participation project, the "POP YOKAI Audition (First Term)," held as part of its ongoing "POP YOKAI Exhibition." The vote covered the 54 contemporary yokai featured in the first-term display and drew a total of 5,024 votes, with "Terupon" (てるぽん) taking first place at 407 votes.
Terupon is a yokai that makes rain fall from within its body to lower the temperature for people troubled by the heat. From the rainy season, when the weather is on everyone's mind, into the height of summer, it is drawing attention as a season-appropriate character that portrays rain as something that "delivers coolness."
The Yokai Art Museum is now holding the second-term display of the "POP YOKAI Exhibition." A different lineup of contemporary yokai appears, and the "POP YOKAI Audition (Second Term)," where visitors choose their own favorite yokai, is also underway.
Who Is Terupon, the No. 1 Yokai?
Terupon (てるぽん), which took first place, is a yokai that, in summer, makes rain fall from within its body to lower the temperature when people are troubled by the heat. When needed, it spins the orb at its base to send out a breeze, and it smiles happily when it sees people delighted.
During the rainy season, when rain and sunshine are on everyone's mind, and through the peak of summer, Terupon is a yokai perfectly suited to the season. The way it portrays rain not as something merely gloomy but as something that softens the heat and brings people coolness and smiles reflects the humor and gentleness characteristic of contemporary yokai.
Its approachable name, endearing appearance, and premise of quietly attending to people's troubles won the support of many visitors.
Results of the POP YOKAI Audition (First Term)
In this project, visitors choose their favorite yokai from among the displayed works in the "POP YOKAI Audition." The first term put all 54 works to a vote, and the total came to 5,024 votes.
Final Results, POP YOKAI Audition (First Term) - Top 10
- Terupon (てるぽん) - 407 votes
- Ochanomitomo (オチャノミトモ) - 390 votes
- Chime Onigiri (千目おにぎり) - 284 votes
- Soramimi (そらみみ) - 276 votes
- Shunpuryu (春風龍) - 247 votes
- Gaps in the Timeline - 176 votes
- Yokai Ii ne! Ii ne! (妖怪いいね！いいね！) - 165 votes
- Botanbo (ぼたんぼ) - 160 votes
- Onitamago (鬼たまご) - 156 votes
- Roujin (蠟神) - 152 votes
The Appeal of Contemporary Yokai, as Seen in the Vote
The top ranks featured yokai with approachable silhouettes, forms where cuteness and eeriness coexist, and characters inspired by modern daily life and sensibilities.
The No. 1, Terupon, is a yokai whose gentle premise of easing the heat with rain and sending a breeze to delight people leaves a strong impression. The No. 2, Ochanomitomo (オチャノミトモ), is characterized by the cuteness of a face peeking out of a rice bowl and its friendly appeal, inviting people with "Won't you be my friend?" The No. 3, Chime Onigiri (千目おにぎり), expresses the old saying that "wasting food will make you go blind" as a "creepy-cute" yokai. The No. 4, Soramimi (そらみみ), gives form to the familiar phenomenon of mishearing as an animal-like yokai. The No. 5, Shunpuryu (春風龍), combines the unique idea of interpreting the spring breeze as the work of a dragon with intricately crafted beauty of form.
Both highly relatable works whose meaning is grasped at a glance and works with cuteness and beauty of form drew support, and the vote brought out the diverse appeal of yokai born in the modern age.
The POP YOKAI Audition (Second Term) Is Now Underway
The Yokai Art Museum is currently holding the second-term display of the "POP YOKAI Exhibition," running a "POP YOKAI Audition (Second Term)" with yokai different from the first term. Will a yokai more popular than the first-term champion, Terupon, emerge? Come find your very own "favorite yokai" at the venue.
About the POP YOKAI Exhibition
The "POP YOKAI Exhibition" is a special exhibition held to mark the first anniversary of the publication of the Yokai Art Museum's book "POP YOKAI 現代百鬼夜行 Contemporary Character Art of Japan," released worldwide by the French publisher RockBook. The more than 100 contemporary yokai featured in the book are displayed across two terms, first and second, and the second-term display is currently on view.
POP YOKAI Exhibition - Overview
- Period: December 26, 2025 (Fri) to November 30, 2026 (Mon)
- First Term: December 26, 2025 (Fri) to May 28, 2026 (Thu)
- Second Term: May 29, 2026 (Fri) to November 30, 2026 (Mon)
- Venue: Yokai Art Museum, Building No. 3, 2nd Floor
A Bilingual Yokai Art Book Featuring Over 100 Contemporary Yokai
Released in September 2024 by the French publisher Rockbook, "POP YOKAI 現代百鬼夜行 Contemporary Character Art of Japan" is a yokai art book that introduces Japan's distinctive yokai culture and the yokai forms newly created by contemporary artists, in both Japanese and English.
The book presents more than 100 yokai from the Yokai Art Museum's collection in full color. Supervised by yokai researcher Masanobu Kagawa, it lets readers enjoy how yokai handed down through folklore are reinterpreted today and reborn as new characters, alongside a wide variety of visuals, while also touching on the cultural background behind them.
About the Yokai Art Museum
The Yokai Art Museum, in the labyrinth-like town on Shodoshima in Kagawa Prefecture, displays and preserves more than 1,000 yokai sculptures and paintings. Visitors tour four traditional old houses scattered throughout the town using a smartphone guide app, with a surprising secret twist waiting at the end. You can enjoy learning about everything from the origins of yokai to modern-day yokai as you take in the works. The museum's director is Chuhei Yagyu, a yokai painter born on Shodoshima.
