[Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto "Gozan no Okuribi" PVC figures are now available as a return gift for Kyoto City Hometown Tax Donations!] A set of soft vinyl (or “sofubi”) figures based on Takashi Murakami’s work with the theme of Kyoto's traditional summer event, Gozan no Okuribi, is now available as a return gift for Kyoto City’s Hometown Tax Donations. Gozan no Okuribi is a traditional event held every year on August 16 in the mountains surrounding Kyoto to see off the spirits of ancestors that have returned for a visit. On Higashiyama, the character "大 (dai)" is drawn with flames; on Matsugasaki, "妙法 (moyō and hō)" are lit; "Funagata" shines on Nishigamo; "Hidari-daimonji" floats on Okitayama; and on Saga, "Toriigata" is lit—these five bonfires fantastically color the summer night sky. This historical event has been sublimated into characters through Takashi Murakami‘s unique perspective and reproduced as figures. The figures are based on the Chinese characters and shapes of each...