Photo/Illutration A banner featuring “yokai” characters created by Shigeru Mizuki is unveiled at the Mizuki Shigeru Museum in his hometown of Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, on Jan. 16. (Hideyuki Oya)

SAKAIMINATO, Tottori Prefecture—A banner featuring 43 “yokai” characters created by Shigeru Mizuki is on display in front a museum dedicated to the manga artist to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth on March 8.

Mizuki, a Sakaiminato native who died in 2015 at the age of 93, was known for “GeGeGe no Kitaro” and other works, many of which feature yokai ghouls and hobgoblins.

The prefectural government set up the textile banner, measuring 7 meters by 2 meters, in the front yard of the Mizuki Shigeru Museum.

It features illustrations of Mizuki holding Medama-Oyaji, Kitaro’s eyeball father, and other familiar faces from the horror manga series, as well as Akuma-kun (devil boy) and “kappa” water sprite Sanpei.

The upper part of the banner says: “Congratulations! The 100th anniversary of the birth of Shigeru Mizuki-sensei.”

“Thanks to Mizuki-sensei, we could create the bustling Manga Kingdom,” Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai said during the banner unveiling ceremony on Jan. 16, referring to a regional promotional program making use of manga and anime titles related to the prefecture.

“We would be really appreciative if people join the 100th anniversary celebration while paying attention to the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic,” Hirai said.

At the ceremony, Sakaiminato Mayor Kentaro Date referred to the 800-meter-long walk dotted with bronze statues of yokai characters.

“We want to cherish the Mizuki Shigeru Road as a sightseeing attraction while we express our gratitude to the great benefactor of Sakaiminato,” Date said.

After the ceremony, children and tourists took pictures in front of the banner, which is on display until the end of August.

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