Playing with Spirits: Pokémon and Shintoism

The video game franchise Pokémon is one of the most popular cultural products to ever come out of Japan. Now more than 20 years old, it is still enjoyed by children and adults throughout the world. Much older is Shintoism, the Japanese religion that inspired Pokémon. This mini-exhibit features objects related to Shinto practices and the cultural underpinnings of Pokémon, including the miniature art of netsuke—the original “pocket monsters.”