In a time when we are all experiencing great transitions, finding ways to evoke feelings of comfort and security are so valuable. Drawing, talking, thinking, and observing things around us can serve as a start in the processing of large changes. While we may not understand all of the changes, we can find comfort through artistic expression.

Week 1: Exploring Japanese Folktales with Yōkai!

OUTCOMES:

I can…

• Explore myths and folktales

• Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a myth or folktale

• Compose a folktale

THINK ABOUT IT:

What is a folktale and why were they created? Share your thoughts with a housemate or in a journal.

LEARN ABOUT IT:

New Vocabulary:

• Folklore - The traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth.

• Myth -A story often describing the adventures of beings with more than human powers that attempts to explain mysterious events (as the changing of the seasons) or that explains a religious belief or practice.

• Phenomenon - A fact or situation that is observed whose cause or explanation is in question.

Yōkai are Japanese folklore spirits based on unexplained phenomena, like Monarch migration, fairy circles or white rainbows. You have probably seen a modern representation of them in Pokemon or Yo-Kai Go. Yōkai also appear frequently in anime and manga. Historically however, Yōkai were associated with folk narratives—such as myths, folktales, and legends. They were mostly oral traditions until the Edo period of Japanese history (1603-1868). Yōkai were a way for people to explain things that they didn’t understand. They helped to explain things that seem mysterious, like strange lights at night or the babbling noise that a stream makes running over rocks. People imagined creatures that produced those lights or noises for a reason.

View this presentation on Yōkai and Anime to learn more about this style of art and for inspiration on drawing your comic:

Read a myth or folktale. (Find some resources here or choose one that you have in your house)

PRACTICE IT:

K-1: After you have read your chosen myth or folktale, identify what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story then identify the main characters.

2-3: After you have read your chosen myth or folktale, identify the beginning, middle and end of the story and share it in writing or, orally with a housemate.

PROJECT:

Go outside and find a natural sound or phenomenon. Write your own folktale about the phenomenon where a character is able to showcase why the phenomenon occurs. Make sure that your story has a beginning, middle and end and that there are clear main characters. Please retain, or share this story with your teacher.

K-1: Dictate or tell to your parents/ guardians

2-3: Write your story down.

1a. Extension:

Draw an anime style comic to illustrate your folktale. Add dialog, sentences, or words that enhance your comic strip’s impact on a reader. Read your comic to an adult and have them help you edit your comic for a final draft.

More Resources/Examples:

• More about yōkai in Japanese folklore. (This is an article for grownups to help explain the concepts to kids)

• This site explains which yōkai different Pokemon are based on.

• You can search different yōkai, see pictures, and read about them here.

1b. Extension: Find an object around your house that has been discarded. Imagine what adventures it would have if it came to life. Draw or write your object’s story. Make sure your story has a beginning, middle, and end. Does your story have a problem and solution? What part of your story gets the reader excited to find out what happens next?

You can look at some fun examples of this in both Beauty and the Beast (free) and Hilda, a kids show on Netflix, (subscription required) which mentions several different types of yōkai including tsukumogami which are old household objects—brooms, umbrellas, musical instruments—that have been neglected or unceremoniously discarded, that have sprouted arms and legs and come to life.

Week 2: Amabie - Healing Art

OUTCOMES:

I can…

• Draw or sculpt an Amabie.

• Describe how people in different cultures use art as a healing method.

THINK ABOUT IT:

What makes you feel safe and secure? How can art help people feel better?

LEARN ABOUT IT:

Modern artists have been drawing a three-legged mermaid or merman with long hair and beak called an Amabie. In the 1800’s in a small town in Japan the Amabie was said to have emerged from the water and told the town that if there was ever an epidemic that people should draw the Amabie and show it to everyone who is ill. (An epidemic is an outbreak of a disease that quickly infects a large number of people. When an epidemic spreads over a wide area, it is called a pandemic.)

TRY IT/PROJECT:

In response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are full of illustrations, pencil drawings, and sculptures of the mysterious Amabie. Try making one of your own by drawing, painting or sculpting. You could try gathering materials from outside or reuse some recyclable materials from your house. According to the original description the Amabie had long hair, a mouth like a bird's bill, was covered in scales from the neck down, and had three legs, but use your imagination and be creative! Be sure to tag us on facebook , instagram, and twitter so that we can make a gallery of the Watershed Turtle’s Amabie! Send some positive healing energy out into the world to help people who are feeling sick or, who are stressed or overwhelmed about being in social isolation, start to feel better! If you want to learn more about what the coronavirus is click here. It can feel scary that we all have to stay home because of the coronavirus and that’s ok. This is a way to try and help people while you stay home.

Here are some examples:

Many artists have made artwork designed to help people heal. Look at some other examples for inspiration: