This exhibition featured Yanobe’s first picture book, “Torayan’s Great Adventure,” featuring his original hand-drawn illustrations and photographs documenting the production. The story of Torayan’s arrival in Hokkaido, which was not included in the book, was also unveiled for the first time in an installation piece specially conceived for this exhibition.

What is Torayan?
Wearing a yellow mini-hero suit, a radioactive protective suit for 3-year-olds, “Torayan” was originally “Ken-chan,” a ventriloquist doll started by Kenji Yanobe’s father, Masanobu, after his retirement. Ken-chan, with his bar-code head, beard, and childish makeup, became the “Torayan” of Naniwa, speaking and singing in a hoarse voice, a new character who mediates between the fictional world created by Kenji Yanobe and the real world of reality. “Torayan” sings the Polish folk song “Let’s Go to the Forest” with an adorable expression, there are countless “Mini Torayan” posing nonchalantly in miniature size, and “Giant Torayan” is a gigantic robot that breathes fire at a child’s command…

Naniwa’s “Torayan” continues to exude a mysterious charm and poison, as if he is a fusion of adult and child. What vision for the future does the number engraved on the Geiger counter on his chest show us?

About the picture book “Torayan’s Great Adventure”
“One night, I was looking at the stars and a piece of light fell. Shooting star? It was a tiny little sun.”
Kenji Yanobe’s first picture book, “Torayan’s Great Adventure,” is a mix of delusional fantasy and real-life documentary. It is an adventure story in which the main character “Torayan,” who lives alone in a small hut, picks up a small sun and eventually grows it into a big sun with many friends.