An explanatory note is a sentence which summarized the detailed text of painting collection of works “THE.　LEGEND OF MONSTERS” (Having translated is kind Ms. Anne Mees.)	Copyright © 1997 AoiFujimoto. All Rights Reserved. PHOENIX When its death is foreknown, the Phoenix builds a coffin out of the nest, brought together from the branches of an aromatic tree and shuts itself up into it. In the heat of the sunlight, it burns and dies. However, a chicken like a larva revives out of the ashes, and it becomes a young bird that rises up into the air carrying an immortal soul to repeat the cycle of life and death. In the actual world where it is difficult to live, the bird symbolizes the immortal soul whose desire for life in freedom continues in the human heart.
DRAGON This monster could represent the inconvenient portion that exists in the actual world, and in the time of the New Testament it was made the symbol of evil in order to emphasize the good of the absolutely perfect God. Human beings and dinosaurs lived together in ancient times, and we can imagine man's fear of the pterosaur can be the reason for the fear idea to the monster of the flying serpent. Memory of fear of the ancient times human beings inherited from their ancestors, and the figure of this monster was formed.
	UNICORN In medieval times, people of Europe believed that the horn of this monster had a detoxification action, drinking the powder of the horn was told to be effective against all illnesses. In order to obtain the precious horn, men practiced the method of deceiving, inviting and bringing near this monster by a young woman's pheromone. When the woman is a virgin, it becomes gentle and sleeps near the woman where it is killed by hunter in the place. When a woman is not pure, this monster stabs and kills her by horn. It is supposed that this monster symbolizes the Holy Spirit made to conceive the Holy virgin Maria.
SPHINX According to a Greek myth one is bitten to death, if one gives a hint to those who pass by: The face asking: “something, walking on 4 legs and at daytime on 2 feet and walking in the nighttime on 3 feet runs has ? in the morning” - mystery you can not solve - is a woman with the body of an auspicious animal, a lion. Established theory reports the pyramids in Egypt were used as graves for the Pharao, in order to preserve them for future generations, with a guardian deity at their side. Newest research at a pyramid and a sphinx found out, these are older than the Egyptian civilization. The space mystery of the time before history of mankind: the Gods, who were solved, are supposed to have brought civilization to Egypt...
	MERMAID The “mermaid princess” of Hans Christian Andersen is famous by a romantic tale. In Japan it is told, in 800 there really existed a nun, told to be the mummy of the mermaid. It is referred by tradition that eating the meat of this monster should retain one's young good looks. Although, as for the human being with the lower half of the body of a fish, it appears also in a Greek myth or the India myth. The symbol keeps the image that the female lower half of the body in form of a fish invites the visitor for sexual pleasure earning consists in the visitor's popularity.
SIREN The witch whose lower half is the body of a bird appears in Greek mythology. By singing with magic she tempts the ship passing by so that they are going to wreck. The tradition of the Lorelei at the German Rhine River shows the same bogy. So, an evil spirit is the origin of the word “siren”, such as on a fire truck, well-known for its powerful voice calling attention to predict marine accidents or storm. It is the symbol of the wind. The witch of a bird also exists in the Buddhism and the mythology of India and Japan. As the lower half of the body plays sweet music in common, it suggests the fascination and fear by the sound of a stranger.
	MANDRAGORA The medicinal herb for rejuvenation and love, and even the name of the witch of enchantment by secret magic of Europe in medieval times, making medicine etc. It is called Alias Mandrake. The root of the plant resembles man's leg. The root is attached to the sexual organs of men and women. Mandra originates in the platform where Gautama Buddha realized spiritual enlightenment in ancient India´s Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism made the world figure of it. The name of the flower Mandrake is even used for a wonderful thing as a Buddhistic holy jewel. The plant sometimes resembles the ginseng.
PEGASUS The flying horse which appears in Greek mythology. By the historical imagination that spring gushed from the ground when it is struck by the hoof and touched by inspiration... Therefore, at least the horseshoe became the symbol for intellect and vitality, a good sign. And it became the lucky symbol which avoids misfortune, whose original is running freely on the land and in the sky.
	MINOTAUR The monster of the man with the head of a cow who was confined in the labyrinth described in a Greek myth. In the KURETA civilization of ancient Greece, there was a religion with the secret ceremony which made the cow God. It was inherited by the Indus civilization of ancient India and the cow became the holy animal. We guess, the fact that men always had a preference for the cow´s milk, caused the special relation between men and cow since ancient times. The head of the keeper of hell also made the head of the cow Buddhism of Japan.
PAN The Cattle-god from Greek mythology blows the reed pipe, he appears with horns on the head and the lower half of the body of a goat . The God whose body half is an animal managing forests and fields and stock farming was also known in Roman mythology. He was considered as the symbol of reproduction from ancient times, and was worshipped also in ancient Egypt. However, by the Christianity of Europe, he was considered as the symbol of a sexual desire and in medieval times he became what suggests an evil spirit. The origin was in the Gospel of Biblical Matthew having described the sheep as gentle and the goat as wayward and hard to treat. The monster of a goat was sensual and was made the symbol of dissipation and pleasure.
	KENTAUROS The Greek myth reports from an extreme of medicine in the knowledge of a medicinal herb, and a human upper half of the body and the body of a horse were set to one Monster. The rough character which seizes the woman, and the wise good character of Diana, the goddess of the moon are two diametrically opposite aspects. It lived in the mountain, had a stick and a bow, is fast and imparted primitive horse-riding people to skillful hunting. Sagittarius from astrology is expressed in the figure combining an arrow at a bow for the strain balance of reason and human instinct. This monster symbolizes the fighting between animal desire and man's reason.
GRIFFIN This monster has its origin in the Dragon, and people in ancient India and in a persian district believe in it, and even in Greece. The creature was divided, it was made by the combination of the eagle and the lion, the king of land. In a greek myth it appears as the sacred monster with which Apollo rises up to heavens and goes down like the sun. The God protecting treasure and the Griffin, symbol of power and wisdom. And it is the sacred monster pulling the car like a church. However, in initial Christianity, there was the opposite meaning with the symbol of the monster as an evil spirit in disguise, or secret magic. A powerful vehicle then, which can be an evil spirit or even a God. At present, cars and airplanes suggest this monster.
	BEETLE (SCARAB) SCARAB is the old general term of this beetle (coleoptera), in english also known as the Ball-roller. This insect does not inhabit Japan. The habit of this insect that uses the excrement of an animal and rolls it to a ball suggested in ancient Egypt the image of the rising sun being piled up. Since that time, the larva which hatched out of the ball of excrement is born as an imago. It became a restorative symbol and was made the charm. John Lennon looked at the dream of Beetles, received a revelation, and that was the beginning of the band named “THE BEATLES” (there is an opinion, the band name “KUORIMEN” has been changed into “THE BEATLES”). It was created by a small beetle. It is the symbol of the powerful God of the sun.
HOUOH Mythology tells, the origin of this monster leads the life of people stabilized in peace by the  government of an emperor. The wonderful bird flew to ancient China. Chinese Taoism inherited the thought from the deathless bird phoenix, made the symbol a good sign and idealized it. It is the bird of the soul which does not appear in time of war. History shows that the rich and peaceful country governed by an admirable dominator cannot be done by human character alone. Man wished and imagined something lofty and symbolized it with the sacred monster.
	RYU God of the snake of ancient India. Taoism, the geographical feature study, sorcery-fortunetelling-Fhusui of ancient China and ancient Japan's animism faith united, and this monster was fixed to the East with the introduction of Buddhism. Although an animal can progress only horizontally, this monster rises vertically into the sky without wings. There is much talk about the view of Buddhism to the polestar. Heavens, water, and life production are in direct relation to this monster. Eastern people think, this monster lives in the sea, in the underground and in the sky. The true character of this monster deifies the power of the fearful Nature and the heavenly body of space which men can not control. It is the huge monster giving the thought of animism its embodiment.
KIRIN The sacred animal was idealized by the Chinese idea of Confucianism. Saints, such as Confucius, should govern the world. As for this monster, it appeared only at that time. The animal is a deer with horn, flying, shining like a phantom. Chinese tradition tells, the deer was always in company of "fukurokuju", the seven japanese gods of good fortune. Since ancient times, people generally considered the deer as the vehicle of God and the deer is actually kept in a shrine in Japan. The antler grows every year and rejuvenates from character, and becomes the symbol of a long life. The mutation of the white deer has been deified and that is the origin of this monster.
	KAPPA　　　 This monster is popular in Japan for many years. Cucumber is its favorite food. It has a plate on the head and a shell on the back. It lives in a river or a swamp and there is webfoot in the hands and feet. It has the size of a human child. Although, this monster is strong and it likes sumo wrestling with man, power will be lost if the water filled in the head is spilt. Most encounters with human beings were in the Edo era of Japan and people from every place report, this monster really existed. The mummy resembled devilish Gremlins and other space aliens seen on the movies. The aquatic humanoid from space which carried out a branch of evolution apart from the human in ancient times - is it possible? And I imagine...
ONI For a long time, people in ancient Japan had not the idea of the existence of a soul, and the God of mountain worship was called “Oni.” People imagined that this monster takes people to whom the bad deed is valid with the dead to hell. He became God of the soul and he was disguised as ill-omened fear. Buddhism made this monster the villain of calamity payment. However, the original meaning of this monster was a talisman which banishes the awe to a special person, and the evil spirit of this world. The central government and Buddhism which conquered ancient Japan used this idea of Monster of the native Japanese for justification.
	BAKU The Japanese name of this Monster is the same as the name of the tapir, a herbivore that really exists, so it is easy to mistake. The figure of this sacred monster is something completely different, originating in an old Chinese book. A folding screen shows the figure of this monster which consumes all unrighteousness. It is indicated at the Japanese old book to have been talisman in the Too era of China. The signification of the figure as a talisman came across to Japan in the Muromachi era. When the bottom of a pillow was covered with this picture at the night of “the first dream of the New Year” and somebody slept on it, there was superstition that this monster eats bad dreams and erases them. People of The Edo era of Japan believed, this monster protected the body from illness or misfortune. The picture of the painted figure on a talisman, the ornament on a temple or a shrine, etc. revalented them.
GARUDA The start of this monster is the sacred bird which eats the snake of Hinduism. The meaning of this act is to conquer an inferior instinct. Tradition reports that God, creator of the universe incarnated like this in order to save the world. However, generally it is considered as the vehicle of the God of the sun. Famous also for the present age as a name of the P.T. Garuda company of Indonesia. It is divine power which picks up Helios and it is fighting forever. This monster gets across to Japan with Buddhism, and it is a part of the national treasure in the temple in Kyoto as an image of a deity to protect Buddhism. And it is also the prototype of “TENGU&KARASUTENGU”, a long-nosed goblin that is well-known in Japan.