Japanese ancient folklore is a mystical world of monsters, ghosts and goblins. Sculpture artist Ryo Arai reveals its dark secrets with his surprisingly lifelike characters. The seductive spider woman is named Jorogumo, a type of ghost or goblin that was a well-known figure in Edo fables. Legend has it that this creature would first appear as a beautiful woman to entice her victim by playing biwa, a Japanese flute, and would then bind him in a spider web to be her next feast. This stunning representation is part of the Yokai Hariko series, where Arai traces monstrous figures from the Edo period. He combines woodblock-engraving techniques with traditional netsuke carving – a specialized workmanship for miniature sculptures first developed in the 17th century.
