About this Event
Yōkai: An Introduction to the Supernatural Beings of Japan with Meher McArthur
In-person & Online event
To the Japanese, yōkai are mysterious phenomena and weird creatures that have inhabited the country’s landscape, homes, folklore and imagination for many centuries. They can be evil or benign spirits, ranging from shape-shifting animals like foxes and badgers, who adopt human form to trick, bewitch or reward humans, to the vengeful ghosts of warriors killed in battle or women wronged by their husbands. Yōkai can also be supernatural creatures from folklore like kappa (river imps that pull people and horses into the water), oni (demons that cause devastation, storms and plagues), and even objects like umbrellas and lanterns that mysteriously come to life as tsukumogami.
Japanese art historian Meher McArthur will introduce this captivating aspect of Japanese culture that is still very much alive today, using images from local art collections, including USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena and Scripps College in Claremont.
Meher McArthur is an Asian art historian specializing in Japanese art. She read Japanese Studies at Cambridge University and holds an MA in Japanese art history from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She was Curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum (PAM, now USC PAM) and Creative Director for the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, both in Pasadena, and also worked as Academic Curator for Scripps College, Claremont and Art and Cultural Director for JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles.
She curates traveling exhibitions for International Arts & Artists (IA&A), including the current exhibition KIMONO: Garment, Canvas, and Artistic Muse. Her exhibition Sound of Water: Feminine Expressions of Fluidity is on view at Descanso Gardens in La-Cañada-Flintridge until January 3, 2027. Her exhibition (curated for Scripps College), Yōkai: Scenes of the Supernatural in Japanese Woodblock Prints is on view until August 30 at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Florida. Her upcoming exhibitions are: Healing with Gold: The Japanese Art of Kintsugi on Ceramics and Beyond (opens at the JACCC in Little Tokyo on September 12), Energetic Connections: The Ki Paintings of Yoshio Ikezaki (opens at the Shumei Hall Gallery in Pasadena on October 4), and Painted Prayers: The Japanese Folk Painting Tradition of Ema (opens at Mingei International Museum on October 17).
Her publications include Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Prints From the Collection of Manly P. Hall (Sam Fogg, 1996), Gods and Goblins: Folk Paintings from Otsu (PAM, 1999), Reading Buddhist Art (Thames & Hudson, 2002) and The Arts of Asia (Thames & Hudson, 2005), An ABC of What Art Can Be (Getty Museum, 2010), New Expressions in Origami Art (Tuttle, 2017). Her memoir A Japanese Art Journey was published by Tuttle in late 2025. She lives in Pasadena, CA.
Tickets: $12 (in person & online)
Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
Please Note: Recordings of the class/event will be sent a few days after the event date and will be available for 2 weeks.
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Through Mirrors, Webs, & Woods: A Month of Folk & Fairy Tales at PRS
This September, PRS celebrates the many wonders of fairytales and folk stories through a series of illustrated presentations, film screenings, and workshops!
Banner photo:
Demons Fleeing from Otafuku
Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831-1889), 1870
Full-color woodblock print, ink on paper
Yūgao
No. 29 from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-92), 1886,
Full-color woodblock print, ink on paper
Humorous Shadow Pictures for Slide Shows with Ghosts by Morikawa Otojirō
(aka Morikawa Chikashige, active 1869-1882)
Meiji period (1868-1912), 1879
Woodblock print, ink on paper
The Heavy Basket
From the series New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-92), 1892
Full-color woodblock print, ink and color on paper
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed by the presenters are solely those of the presenter and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Presentations are intended for informational and entertainment purposes.
ACCESSIBILITY
PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.
REFUND POLICIES
All sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges for PRS events. If an event is cancelled entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers will be offered for a rescheduled event, and ticket holders will be notified.
PARKING
We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking. Street parking is available on Griffith Park Blvd. and (after 7 PM) on Los Feliz Blvd. Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east). For ADA assistance, please reach out to us in advance via email ([email protected]) or phone (323.663.2167) and provide an email or number we can contact you at.
PRS EVENT POLICIES
- We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
- Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
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Event venue & nearby stays
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States
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