Giant Taiwanese Dragon Relic Debuts at Gero Onsen Art Festival 2026

Gifu Prefecture's Gero Onsen district in Japan attracts a large number of tourists every year with its gushing hot springs and natural beauty. In 2026, the area is combining art with local hot spring culture under the banner of the "Gero Art Discovery 2026" international art festival, which officially kicked off on the 11th of this month. The organizers hope that through the creations of multinational artists, visitors will be able to experience the diverse languages of contemporary art in outdoor spaces while bathing in the hot springs, thereby enhancing Gero's visibility on the international cultural map.

Among the opening tours of this year's art festival, one of the most anticipated works is the large-scale outdoor installation "Relics of Hida Mythology: Ryomen Sukuna and the Subjugation of the Divine Dragon," created by Taiwanese contemporary artist Tu Wei-Cheng. Installed on the open grassland beside the Gassho-style village, the artwork uses steel structures and metal plates to piece together the contours of an ancient ruin, while using light, shadow projection, and sound installations to recreate the legendary confrontation between the divine dragon and Sukuna, making viewers feel as though they are stepping into a fictitious archaeological excavation.

Since ancient times, the Hida region's natural environment of intersecting mountains and rivers has nurtured many myths and legends. Among the most well-known is the story of the "Subjugation of the Divine Dragon": legend has it that a giant dragon once entrenched itself in the Hida Mountains, endangering agriculture and fishing catches, and was eventually expelled with the assistance of Ryomen Sukuna, a deity possessing a two-faced mask. This narrative is not only a piece of local oral folklore, but also frequently appears in ritual ceremonies and paintings. Tu Wei-Cheng approaches the work from the concept of a fictitious "ruin," reinterpreting traditional oral history from an archaeological perspective, thereby giving the ancient myth a new life in a modern public space.

Born in Taipei and a graduate of the National Institute of the Arts, Tu has created works and exhibited extensively in Japan and various parts of Europe. His works mostly focus on cultural intersection and the reconstruction of historical memory. In the past, he explored the traces of Taiwan-Japan maritime trade with his "Fragments of the Coastline" series. His invitation to participate in the Gero Art Festival is a continuation of his ongoing effort to connect cross-strait cultures through a cross-disciplinary perspective. The artist stated that choosing Hida's legends as his subject matter was done in the hope that, through concrete installations, viewers could experience the fluidity of history and myth through sensory experience.

On opening day, audiences from mainland Japan and abroad showed a high level of interest in the "Relics of Hida Mythology," with many stopping to take photos in front of the installation and learning about the underlying legendary context through guided tours. Local government officials also pointed out that such transnational artistic collaborations not only enhance Gero's cultural tourism appeal, but also promote exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the creative industries. Over the coming weeks, the art festival will continue to host workshops and forums, inviting artists, scholars, and local residents to jointly discuss the dialogue between "legends and the contemporary."

Overall, Tu Wei-Cheng's "Relics of Hida Mythology: Ryomen Sukuna and the Subjugation of the Divine Dragon" is not only a highlight of this year's art festival, but also symbolizes the rebirth and reinterpretation of traditional stories in a globalized context, injecting new cultural vitality into the Gero Onsen district and writing a memorable page for Taiwan-Japan artistic exchanges.