My inner demons.
For my zine, I decided to revisit 3 compositions I did for my final project last semester. The 3 compositions focused on 3 different japanese demons. And through my zine I chose to further elaborate on these demons and how they relate to me.
Each spread of my zine corresponds to a specific demon and also a title of a japanese folklore about that demon.
On the front cover, my Japanese and Chinese name overlay in front of me,showcasing both my Chinese heritage and also my preference for Japanese art.
天狗 - TENGU 天狗の隠れみの Tengu no Kakuremino "Tengu's Magic Cloak" A boy in a village was warned by his mother not to trick a Tengu, as Tengu's love to play tricks on humans but do not like having tricks played on them. The boy went against his Mum's wishes and tricked a Tengu into giving him it's magic cloak. After realizing that it had been tricked, furious, the Tengu gathered other Tengu to exact revenge on the boy to get the cloak back. Me: As a trickster and prankster, there are instances where I get carried away and dislike it when others do the same thing to me. There are times where i will be bitter and though i would not think of revenge like a Tengu, it is still something about myself i want to change.
おに - ONI うじ‐の‐はしひめ Uji no Hashihime "Woman at Uji bridge" A woman scorned by her husband was so hell bent on revenge that she asked the gods to turn her into an Oni. Under the god's instructions, she went into the river in Uji and bathed for 21 days and separated her hair into 5 horns, turning herself into an Oni. After which, she exacted revenge on not only her husband but the husbands family. and anyone that crossed the bridge over the river where she turned into an Oni. Me: This is the art of myself i would like to cut out. ideally i want to take out the bitter feeling of revenge.
キツネ - KITSUNE いえにきつね U Chi ni Kitsune "Fox in the house." An old man moved into an old house, and realizes the house is overrun by foxes. He leaves them be and they slowly get more and more mischievous as the days go by. Till one day he cant take it no more and decides to kill them all the next day. That very night, an old fox visits him in his dreams, explaining that his family has lived there for many generations, and asks for his forgiveness.The old man agrees to spare their lives. the foxes being grateful, would in turn help the old man. And whenever something good were to happen, it would be forewarned by a sharp bark of a fox. Me; this is what i am trying to ideally work towards. Whereby i am still mischievous and playful, but when im told my limit, i not only know how to stop, but also be devoid of revenge and do good when it is due.
内側の悪魔 Uchigawa no akuma Inner Demons