History of Devil Drawings and the Subcultures of Japan

…considering the changing face of gods and devils, culminating with the illustrations of Kazuma Kaneko

nineteenth-century illustration by Gustave Doré for Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and cover art by Kazuma Kaneko (1994) for the Atlus game ‘Shin Megami Tensei II’ [view license 1 and 2 ] *

Culture is always a collection of subcultures, each vying for dominance, and in popular-culture the huge influence of anime and manga has placed them at the core of many people’s entertainment. Myths, ancient gods, folktales, and folklore have developed into modern fantasy creatures, demons, and other strange things in our contemporary media. What people used to be in awe of are becoming familiar and more accessible. Along with them comes a renewed interest in their historic origins and a rekindling of fading traditions.

Originally, such things were treated as solemn, austere, and sacred. They were expressed through paintings found in temples and palaces, because the subjects were closely related to ‘faith’, which was the foundation for the education of human ethics and morality. Gods and demons are metaphors for ideas of good and evil. They appeared in old stories conveying lessons and warnings, often with an alarming aspect intended to horrify or otherwise engage people, leaving a strong impression and lasting memory.

Symbols of evil and vexation, and their negative energies, are present in all religions and cultures, depicted as…