Kagewani at Roppongi Art Night 2018

Artist Hiromu Miyamoto brought to life the legendary Kagewani at Roppongi Art Night 2018, and we shot the entirety of one of its spontaneous performances!  

The Kagewani (影ワニ) is a mythical beast straight out of Japan’s ancient folklore. Rising from the sea, this mysterious ‘shadow crocodile’ would kill those whose shadows it consumed. (Anime fans – the word ‘Kagewani’ may be more familiar to you as the name of a monster suspense anime which premiered in October 2015.)

However, the creature was ‘alive’ and well at Roppongi Art Night 2018, terrorising (well, entertaining) the crowds under the direction of its creator, Hiromu Miyamoto (宮本 宗).

Miyamoto was born in Mie Prefecture in 1985, and graduate in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture followed by a Masters in 2009 in the same discipline, both from the Aichi University of the Arts. He is primarily known for creating mixed-media sculptures that ‘extend’ the human body. Since 2016 he has been making sensory-based art where works are moved by human power. At the Nagokon Art Festival 2017, he collaborated with contemporary dancers in holding stage performances. Kagewani, with its human powered steel framework, can be seen as a coming together of his last 8 years of work.

Kagewani was previously performed outdoors in Aichi Prefecture, and Roppongi Art Night 2018 was the first time it was performed in Tokyo. We were there on an art-focussed fully customised Tokyo Private Tour with guests, and with their permission we share one of its performances, captured at 17:00 on Sunday 27 May. Enjoy!

Maction Planet’s Tokyo Art Tours encompass the major exhibitions, street art, murals, sculpture, gallery showings and events which make up the rich cultural landscape of the city. The sheer scope of events can be difficult for visitors to navigate, and often these events do not have any English language support.

Our Tokyo Art Tours can be fully-customised around any Tokyo Private Tour experience. A large part of the Maction Planet manifesto is that we don’t believe in ‘compartmentalisation of tourism’. Just because guests contact us for an art tour, we don’t stop there – we help them understand the history, architecture and curiosities of the areas they are in, and make sure the whole adventure is a food tour too!

Whatever your interests, contact us at info@mactionplanet.com to begin your journey to your perfect, personalised time in The World’s Greatest Metropolis.