Copy of Night Parade of One Hundred Demons from the Shinjuan Collection 18th century

Mochizuki Gyokusen painted this copy of Night Parade of One Hundred Demons from the Shinjuan Collection in the 18th century. It's a handscroll rendered in ink and color on paper, and it pulls us into a world where the veil between the seen and unseen blurs. The original Night Parade scrolls, popular during the Muromachi period, often reflected social anxieties and class tensions by giving shape to the formless fears of the era. Gyokusen's copy revives this tradition, but it does so at a time of relative peace. What does it mean to revisit images of chaos when the artist lives in more stable times? The demons depicted here might reflect personal struggles or societal unease despite outward appearances. Gyokusen’s choice to revisit this theme could be a way of keeping cultural memory alive, reminding viewers that the world is always in flux. It invites us to consider the nature of fear, and the monsters we carry within ourselves.