MANGA 'JUJUTSU KAISEN' FUELS DEMAND FOR JAPAN FOLKLORE MUSEUM CATALOGS - MORIOKA JAPAN

MANGA 'JUJUTSU KAISEN' FUELS DEMAND FOR JAPAN FOLKLORE MUSEUM CATALOGS - MORIOKA JAPAN

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

MORIOKA

Two exhibition catalogs produced by a folklore museum in northeastern Japan have been reprinted an unusually high number of times after demand surged amid the popularity of the manga series "Jujutsu Kaisen."

The two catalogs -- "Tono Monogatari to Jujutsu" and "Tono Monogatari to Ikai" -- by Tono Municipal Museum in Iwate Prefecture features elements that overlap with the dark fantasy and supernatural action series about sorcerers that fight against cursed spirits bringing misfortune to people.

The museum, which centers on folklorist Kunio Yanagita's classic book "Tono Monogatari," said that many visitors to the exhibitions were women in their 20s and 30s, a trend likely driven by the immense popularity of the series, which has also been adapted into an anime and film. In the past, most of the visitors were in their 50s and 60s.

The Jujutsu catalog features numerous photographs illustrating incantations found in "Tono Monogatari," local customs for warding off evil, and dolls believed to house protective deities.

The Ikai catalog, meanwhile, introduces present-day photographs of a bridge where villagers are said to have encountered a zashiki warashi spirit, and objects said to have been left behind by the legendary creature tengu, among other things.

"Normally, we print about 1,000 copies of an exhibition catalog and sell them gradually. Once they sell out, that's usually it," said curator Satomi Asanuma, 46.

The Jujutsu exhibition, first held in 2021, proved so popular it was held again two years later. The initial catalog print run of 1,000 copies for the second exhibition sold out almost immediately. Sales continued even after the exhibition finished, reaching five reprints for a total of 5,800 copies by May 2025.

Followers of the museum's official X account jumped from 23,000 to around 40,000 between April and September 2023, when posts promoting the Jujutsu exhibition were shared.

The catalog also sold well during the third staging of the exhibition, which ran through January 2026. Meanwhile, the catalog for the Ikai exhibition, held in 2024, reached a third reprinting in 2025. Many people are said to have bought both as a set.

Museum director Hiroshi Hasegawa, 53, expressed hopes that "the exhibitions and catalogues will help people rediscover the appeal of 'Tono Monogatari."

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@Jr_Paku Midin Channel