If you are quick you can catch some manga in London at the moment. The British Museum is staging a small, free exhibition to promote their own manga book, Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure. These manga books, drawn by Hoshino Yukinobu, have made the Professor famous throughout Japan. The show is on until April 9th. More information at http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/manga_at_the_british_museum.aspx

© The Trustees of the British Museum

Meanwhile, on the railings outside the church of St Martin’s in the Fields in central London (just off Trafalgar Square) you can see the manga Easter story of The Stations of the Cross from the book, The Manga Jesus. These are drawn by Siku of Judge Dredd fame. Here you will see a strangely aggressive Jesus passing through the even more aggressive torments on the way to crucifixion.

And if you want to see some more Japanese artforms then head to Somerset House where there is a free selling exhibition of Kokoro: The Art of Horiyoshi III. There is tattoo equipment on show, as he is most renowned for this form of art. But also there are several traditional hangings on dipslay. These again are strangely aggressive with some showing ghosts biting severed heads or severed heads hanging in trees! But the majority are peaceful enough and Moon and Bats is really beautiful in grey tones evoking a late summer evening. But not one for little kids, I think.

This is on until July 1st. More info at http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/kokoro-the-art-of-horiyoshi-iii