Junji Ito ‘Enchantment’ Exhibition to open in Aomori and Fukuoka

Last Updated on April 25, 2025

Event Overview

A new Junji Ito exhibition will open in Aomori from the 19th April and Fukuoka from the 1st June.

A number of different works and new illustrations will be on display, including original drawings and shocking masterpieces, showcasing this horror artists signature style of beauty coexisting with the grotesque.

The exhibition is broken down into four chapters each addressing themes such as ‘Beauty and Ugliness’, ‘Fear lurking in everyday life’, ‘Strange painting’ and ‘Junji Ito’.

Chapter 1 – Beauty and Ugliness

The beautiful men and women that Ito paints are bewitching and otherworldly.

They are sometimes as fickle as butterflies flying from flower to flower, driving those around them crazy without any remorse, and once their inner ugliness erupts, they themselves transform into terrifying monsters.

This exhibition will feature a worldview in which beauty and ugliness coexist, which became one of the major characteristics of Ito’s subsequent works, as well as a number of stories that unfold with a comical depiction.

Chapter 2 – Fear lurking in everyday life

A unique world spun with a fantastical development and flowing brushwork.

The entrance to horror is always quietly present in the most mundane of everyday life.

The thoroughly pursued realism and descriptions backed by the author’s own experiences have the power to stir the viewer’s empathy and imagination, making the story feel familiar.

Everyone cannot help but associate the twisted and swollen skin and slimy texture of the slugs with their own memories.

Chapter 3 – Strange painting

The frontispiece, which symbolizes the story, is the entrance to another world.

A single image incorporating the theme of the story builds up the reader’s expectations and anticipates the heightened emotions.

Another part of Ito’s charm is the panels that boast a level of perfection like a painting, such as the astonishing double-page spread that suddenly appears across the entire page.

Ito’s attention to detail, drawn precisely down to the last detail, can only be seen in the original artwork.

Chapter 4 – Junji Ito

Ito, who has made the transition from a dental technician to a manga artist, still has a “strange but real” worldview that can be said to be the foundation of his creativity.

Visitors will get closer to his true character by looking at his life from his childhood to the present.

Merchandise

Venue Information

AOMORI

• Dates: April 19th (Sat) – May 25th (Sun), 2025
• Venue: Aomori Museum of Art Community Gallery
• Address: 185 Yasuda Konno, Aomori City
• Closed Days: April 28th (Monday), May 12th (Monday)
• Opening hours: 9:30-17:00 (Entry until 16:30)　*Last day until 16:00 (Entry until 15:30)

FUKUOKA

• Dates: June 1st (Sunday) – July 13th (Sunday), 2025
• Venue: Fukuoka City Science Museum 3rd floor special exhibition room
• Address: 4-2-1 Ropponmatsu, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
• Closed Days: Every Tuesday
• Opening hours: 9:30-18:00 (Entry until 17:30)

Tickets

General public/university students
Same day – 1,700 yen
Advanced booking – 1,500 yen

Elementary, junior high, and high school students
Same day – 1,200 yen
Advanced booking – 1,000 yen

Preschoolers
free

Tickets can be purchased in advance via the official website.

Event Details