There is so much energy bouncing around Ginza's Gallery Yougen that just to step inside is uplifting. There are the images on the walls -- 17 woodcut prints created to illustrate the book "Tales of Days Gone By," stories selected from 1,000 folktales compiled in the 12th century for the classic literary masterpiece "Konjaku Monogatari-shu." There is also the artist, Naoko Matsubara, a potent force in her own right.
With easy aplomb, she balances the needs of family, friends and fans while checking the hanging of her work. This latest exhibition, which closes today at 6 p.m., celebrates the publication of the Japanese edition of "Tales of Days Gone By." (The English-language version has been on sale since May.)
Naoko's prints are bold, colorful and deceptively simple, bringing to life medieval folk stories under the headings Tales of Women, Tales of Wonder, and Tales of Buddhism. "I'm not religious, but I do have a strong spiritual life and find the links between demons and ghosts and the ordinary world very familiar, an easy jump."