Yamabiko (山彦) is a mountain god, spirit, and yōkai in Japanese folklore. Literally translated, “yamabiko” means “echo”. It is the yōkai responsible for the natural phenomenon in mountains or canyons. Living deep in the mountains, direct encounters with the yamabiko are rare. Often they are heard, but never seen. The small and elusive yokai wasn’t officially classified until the Edo period in Japan. Instead the bizarre noises coming from the mountain were attributed to a natural phenomenon, like birds, and not given any spiritual significance. It is usually depicted with gray fur, peach-colored belly, floppy ears, large grin, and arms outstretched as though it is caught mid-shrug.

I’ve painted 5 artworks depicting Anubis with Yamabiko – same mood, but each of them a bit different. Each artwork, size Anubis and 29,7 x 21cm, is painted with mixed technique on paper (aquarelle + acrylics). They are all avaliable as rewards in the Kickstarter campaign for the new artbook.