MISC. BADASS BOOKS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT!
1920's Images Design Book with CD-ROM    Size: 8.5” x 9” - Pages: 112 - Published: 2002 - Price: $58 - Binding: Softcover w/CD-ROM |
This is the stuff your granny sported on her dresses... (or at least my g-ma did)! This is prohibition, Dorothy Parker and the vicious circle, Al Capone and the rise in popularity of Appalachian moonshine. The 20's gave the USA a personality and it is exemplified in the artwork from the period. Great images, not antiquated but definitely dated. Tiffany-esque but not the exploited stuff that you see on every stained glass lamp in Home Depot. The book is one of a series put out by a publishing house in the Netherlands and the whole series is amazing...I hope to list all of them soon. The book has introductions in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, dutch, Japanese and Chinese....a little something for everyone! It is brand new, bought for auction and includes a WIN/MAC compatible CD-ROM of the royalty free images. It is appx. 8.5" x 8.75" and 112 pages. The designs are brilliant. Great for simple small tattoo pieces, and background work on larger pieces..show you customers what they want! Definitely for the ladies.....lots of tangerine and olive greens! . |
Robot #8 Japanese Futuristic Artwork    Size: 8.5” x 12” - Pages: 165 - Published: 2007 - Price: $38 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a great Manga book called Robot (although that really isn't indicative of the subject matter) that I picked up for myself because the illustrations are awesome. Contributors include Range Murata, Yoshitoshi Abe, Mami Itou, Inuburo, Kawayoo, Yusuke Kozaki, Sabe, Imperial Boy, Shin Nagasawa, Kamui Fujiwara, Neonvision, Shigeki Maeshima (one of my favorites!) , Miggy, Yamato Yamamato, Kengo Yonekura, and Roboinu. 165 pages of mind blowing imagery - most are 3-4 page full color installations, text is in Japanese. Very well done, tons of great tattoo ideas - if you are looking for some great new Japanese eye candy, pick this up. |
Retrospetive by Amano Katan - Creepy!    Size: 7" x 9.5" - Published: 2007 - Pages: 244 - Price: $62 - Binding: Softcover |
Amano Katan's new book Retrospective is incredibly disturbing. She has become quite a presence in the Japanese noir art scene here with her creepy dolls, photographed in this book by Yoshida Ryo. Her dolls are patently haunting, innocently askew and intense. The corners of my mouth always pull down on their own accord when I look at her stuff. Some of it is really just hard to look at. This book includes not just doll photography but sculpture pieces and paintings as well. Very cool collection of some some incredibly compelling artwork. |
Japanese Avant Garde Underground Theater Posters |
This is an amazing collection of artwork. 100 theater posters from the Japanese underground theater, dating from 1965 - 1986 and bound in extra large format on thick, high quality paper. This is a well done compilation. Pictures are beautifully reproduced and the subject matter very compelling.Text and poster details in both English and Japanese. Includes contrubutions (in both languages) as follows: The Golden age of Theatre Posters - Senda Akihiko The Poster is a Play's Opening Move - Kara Juro We Couldn't Imagine Plays Without Posters - Kujo Kyoko Posters Speak for the Era - Sasame Hiroyuki Posters Soaked up the Atmosphere of That Wild Era - Kuwabara Shigeo These articles are followed by the 100 full page, color posters and they are indexed at the end. |
Yamaguchi Akira    Size: 7.5” x 10” - Pages: 80 - Published: 2006 - Price: $50 - Binding: Softcover |
Yamaguchi Akira's work is like going through Lewis Carroll's looking glass - in Japanese. Everything appears normal at first, busy yes, but normal until, upon closer inspection, incongruities begin to appear. He seamlessly merges modern day happenstance into meticulously crafted ukiyo-e scenes. It is brilliant and unsettling. Dipietro writes, "Yamaguchi, 33, has long been working with the juxtaposition of different historical eras in his expertly-crafted and finely-detailed ink on paper drawings and acrylic and oil on canvas paintings. There is a real sophistication to his process -- the artist does not simply drop a salaryman into a Tokugawa pastoral scene, rather he seamlessly integrates different and disparate period moods, clues, and symbols, and does this so cleverly that it is often not apparent until one closely inspects the pictures. For example, a man in a yukata, sitting on zabuton in an old izakaya, with the mama-san hovering over him holding a tray of not sake, but milk. Other examples, such as the Russian cavalry man riding a half-horse, half-motorcycle, juxtapose in a way that is not as subtle but no less well-integrated." This self titled book includes a preface by the artist in English and a preface by Art History Professor Yuji Yamashita - also in English. Print titles in Japanese and English. A truly brilliant collection of artwork. |
Tarako Camera (Fried Chicken Camera) |
This is a great little photo book of Fried Chicken Kewpies on holiday in Europe. It is called Tarako Camera (Fried Chicken Camera) and is just bizarre. I love it. I am unaccountably drawn to these weird little dolls and when they came out with a huge fried chicken campaign this summer I went bananas! They are so freaking weird!! And now, a little icing on my fetish cake, there is this book of fried chicken kewpie photos. Awesome! A friend who just visited made me re-aware of how cute obsessed the Japanese are. These dolls are just weird. Cute weird. Creepy weird. This collection of Photographs by Ryoichi Kato is insanely weird! Text ia minimal and in Japanese. |
Warriors of Art |
This book is amazing! It is Warriors of Art - A Guide to Contemporary Japanese Artists. It was written by Yumi Yamaguchi is a Tokyo-based art critic who writes on art for a wide variety of Japanese magazines, and is the author of several books on the subject. This is the first time she has been published in English. Critics write 'Recently the West has been inundated by a steady flow of images from manga, anime, and the video games that are a key part of today's Japanese visual culture. At the same time, Japanese contemporary artists are gaining a higher profile overseas: many Westerners are already familiar with Takashi Murakami's brightly colored, cartoonlike characters, or with Junko Mizuno's "grotes-cute" Lolita-style girls. Perhaps less familiar are the absurd fighting machines of Kenji Yanobe, the many disguises of Tomoko Sawada, or the bizarre fairytale landscapes of Tomoko Konoike. Warriors of Artfeatures the work of forty of the latest and most relevant contemporary Japanese artists, from painters and sculptors, to photographers and performance artists, with lavish full-color spreads of their key works. Author Yumi Yamaguchi offers an insightful introduction to the main themes of each artist, and builds up a fascinating portrait of the society that has given birth to them: |
| A Japan that still bears the scars of atomic destruction, a Japan with a penchant for the cute and the childish, a Japan whose manga and anime industries have come to dominate the world.Warriors of Art takes its title from a phrase used to describe Taro Okamoto (1911-1996), perhaps the first truly influential contemporary artist to emerge in postwar Japan, who fought to bring modern art to a wider audience. Following in Okamoto's footsteps, the forty artists featured in this book are a new generation of warriors, attacking our senses with a shocking mix of the cute, the grotesque, the sexy, and the violent, forcing us to sit up and take notice of their vision of Japan.' It includes some of my favorite artists and introduce some new ones I was unfamiliar with. Definitely a beautiful book to add to any art collection. The book itself is hardback, appx. 8"x10' and 178 high quality pages. Plus, and most importantly, TEXT IS IN ENGLISH!! Artists include - Makoto Aida, Chinatsu Ban, Hideomi Fukuchi, Ken Hamaguchi, Takanori Ishizuka, Izumi Kato, Miko Kato, Hideaki Kawashima, Maiko Kobayashi, Naoki Koide, Sako Kojima, Tomoko Konoike, Mahomi Kunikata, Mashiko Kuwahara, Kumi Machida, Maywa Denki, Shintaro Miyake, Junko Mizuno, Yasumasa Morimura, Hisaharu Motoda, MR., Takashi Murakami, Kengo Nakamura, Yoshitomo Nara, Yasuyuki Nishio, Motohiko Odani, Takashi Okazaki, Tomoko Sawada, Ryoko Suzuki, Tabaimo, Iichiro Tanaka, Hisashi Tenmyouya, Toast Girl, Noboru Tsubaki, Ai Yamaguchi, Akira Yamaguchi, Noriko Yamaguchi, Miwa Yanagi and Kenji Yanobe. Very, Very cool. |
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Magic (Fushigi)Circus by Mark Ryden - JAPAN ONLY! |
This auction is for a new copy of Mark Ryden's book Magic (Fushigi) Circus. It includes both new prints and old favorites. Introduction is in Japanese but image plates are in both English and Japanese. Here's the list: Blood - Sweat - Tears - The Magic Circus - The Last Rabbit - Puella Amino Aureo - YHWH - Sophia's Mercurial Water - Jessica's Hope - Little Boy Blue - Balloon Boy - Santa Worm - The Baptism of Jajo - Manus Christi - Weeping - 40 - Rose - Wound - Fountain - Night Visit - The Cloven Bunny - The Ringmaster - The Birth of Venus - The Meat Train - The Butcher Bunny - The Meat Magi - The Pumpkin President - The Angel of Meat - Lincoln's Head - The Birth - Uncle Black - Little Star - The Creatrix - Princess Sputnik - Jajo, Patron Saint of Clowns - Tubbies - Slayer - Christina - Leonardo DiCaprio - Just the Girls - Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers - Their Sympathetic Majesties Request - Jimi Hendrix - Bjork - Dead Characters - Saint Barbie - Snow White - Corkey Ascending to the Heavens - Jasper Ridin' - The Ox Suckling Romulus & Remus - A Dog Named Jesus - Tiki God - Swap Meet Man - The Debutante - The Ecsasty of Cecilia. Great opportunity to own some of the sold out images! |
Art of Feebee - Sexy Japanese Girls! |
I love this book! It's called The Art of Feebee - The Cosmic Oiran, The future Kuniochi & The Lounge Samurai and it is full of stunning imagery from cover to cover. Feebee's graphics are in high demand here in Japan and it's easy to see why. Her ladies are proud, beautiful, strong and infinitely sexy. The artwork is just amazing....clean lines and strong artistic vision make this collection one of my new favorites!!! |
Kewpie Catalog - Disturbingly cute |
This is a great little book of Kewpie Mayo babies dressed up as Japanese food. A friend who just visited made me re-aware of how cute obsessed the Japanese are. These dolls are just wierd. Creepy weird. Holy cannolli batman there is a fried prawn Kewpie, a chicken drumstick Kewpie, a ramen bowl Kewpie, it is insane. And so insane, in fact, that there is a catalog, so that you mad genius collectors can keep track of your mayo mascot collections! Give in to your inner weirdo and buy the mayo doll collectors manual...I'll probably be the only other one who doesn't think you're a kook! I bought one for myself, remember?!?! Text in Japanese. |
Tamala The Punk Rock Cat |
This is a great little book of Tamala the punk rock cat. She is a sassy little menace, who terrorizes her neighborhood with electric shears and a cute face. Fun, fun little book and great food for thought! Text in Japanese. |
PEEWEE by Wataru Kitani
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This is a great little photo book of Kewpie babies called PEE WEE. A friend who just visited me here in Tokyo made me re-aware of how cute obsessed the Japanese are. These dolls are just weird. Cute weird. Creepy weird. This collection of Photographs by Wataru Kitani is insanely weird! Photos of Kewpie in eggshells, playing with macaroni and toothpaste, in snail shells.... a whole lotta weird stuff! Text in Japanese. |
Oishasan-Gokko by Masaru Shichinobe |
This is a book I picked up for myself and thought I'd add it to the site, it is dark and eerie. It is called Oishasan-Gokko (5 nurses) and is by Masaru Shichinohe. The central theme is this haunting little nurse girl with big creepy eyes who looks like she's innocently up to no good. Dark colors set out with occasional reds and greens, very visually stimulating. Text in both English and Japanese. |
KAMON by Keiichi Tanaami   Size: 8.5” x 12” - Pages: 32 - Published: 2006 - Price: $35 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a book I picked up for myself and thought I'd add to the collection, the artwork is amazing. It is called KAMON and is artwork done by Keiichi Tanaami. He uses bright, dayglow colors and pulls from traditional Japanese icons and imagery to create brilliant, busy, playful pieces that draw the eye. The designs, to me, look like faces created loosely from Japanese family crests, very compelling. This book is hardback with nice thick pages. Text is in Japanese and English. Great for collectors of Japanese contemporary art. |
Yaso: Sense of Beauty   Size: 7” x 9.5” - Pages: 185 - Published: 2006 - Price: $36 - Binding: Softcover |
This book, Yaso: Sense of Beauty Japanese Aesthetic is full of haunting images by some amazing artists in this particular genre - psychologically disturbing Japanese Art. This book has images of Dolls and Lolita Vampire-esque girls, it has photos of Seppuku (hara-kiri), photos by Miwa Yanagi - very cool, very eerie, one of my new favorites Takato Yamamoto is featured as well as Maki Kusumoto. There is an artist named Sayume Tachibana that does some amazing paintings that pull masterfully from the old Ukiyo-e woodblock prints - all in all an amazing little collection! This book is cover to cover eye candy. Very engaging. This book would be a welcome addition to any collection of Japanese Macabre Art. Text is predominately Japanese but the artists are introduced in English. |
Hako-Shonen by Masaru Shichinobe   Size: 7” x 7”- Pages: 36 - Published: 2002 - Price: $30 - Binding: Hardcover |
Here is another weird book by Masaru Shichinohe called Hako-Shonen (box manga/story). There are recurring images throughout the prints, which I think is interesting. It isn't as sinister as some of Shichinohe's other stuff but it is definitely odd. Unsettling. Dark colors set out with occasional reds and greens, very visually stimulating. Text in Japanese. |
Slang: Japanese Underworld   Size: 6.5” x 8.5” - Pages: 96 - Published: 1998 - Price: $35 - Binding: Softcover |
This book, Slang vol. 1 from Tokyo, is a photo study of the Japanese underworld...pretty crazy. Index in English in the back says book includes images of hostesses, prostitutes, punks, low riders, gigalos, love hotels, rice balls, world cup fever, cemetaries, race queens, taxi driver's tattooed head, costume players and businessmen....to name a few. The book caught my eye because it captures many commonplace scenes from some of the seedier areas of Tokyo...Shinjuku and Roppongi. Yakuza World. This is a great book for anyone interested in Japanese culture. (The shadier side of Tokyo, more specifically). |
Contemporary Art by Yamaguchi Akira   Size: 7.5” x 10” - Pages: 80 - Published: 2006 - Price: $50 - Binding: Hardcover |
Yamaguchi Akira's work is like going through Lewis Carroll's looking glass - in Japanese. Everything appears normal at first, busy yes, but normal, but upon closer inspections incongruities begin to appear. He seamlessly merges modern day happenstance into meticulously crafted ukiyo-e scenes. It is brilliant and unsettling. Dipietro writes, "Yamaguchi, 33, has long been working with the juxtaposition of different historical eras in his expertly-crafted and finely-detailed ink on paper drawings and acrylic and oil on canvas paintings. There is a real sophistication to his process -- the artist does not simply drop a salaryman into a Tokugawa pastoral scene, rather he seamlessly integrates different and disparate period moods, clues, and symbols, and does this so cleverly that it is often not apparent until one closely inspects the pictures. For example, a man in a yukata, sitting on zabuton in an old izakaya, with the mama-san hovering over him holding a tray of not sake, but milk. Other examples, such as the Russian cavalry man riding a half-horse, half-motorcycle, juxtapose in a way that is not as subtle but no less well-integrated." This self titled book includes a preface by the artist in English and a preface by Art History Professor Yuji Yamashita - also in English. Print titles in Japanese and English. A truly brilliant collection of artwork. |
Shinzou to Dachou no Hane by Shunsaku Hayashi   Size: 8” x 12” - Pages: 72 - Published: 2007 - Price: $45 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a book I picked up for myself and thought I'd offer on the site - the artwork is amazing. It is called Shinzou to Dachou no Hane (Heart and Ostrich's Feathers) by Shunsaku Hayashi and it includes both sketches and full color paintings. Many of the titles are listed in the back in English and there is an afterward by Hayashi in English which examines his influences and aspirations. The pieces are very busy and he uses a lot of stark primary colors. They are incredibly detailed and I've found I have to put the book down and come back to it, and each time another layer of a painting appears. He cites Tim Burton as an inspiration and this is evident in his work. It is manical and grim but his people all smile! Very cool book. |
Disturbing Doll Art Book by Nori Tomizaki   Size: 6” x 8.5” - Pages: 64 - Published: 2007 - Price: $50 - Binding: Hardcover |
This collection of artwork by Nori Tonizaki is really, really disturbing. The Japanese have a strange fascination with dolls. They often look like dolls, they sometimes dress like dolls, the girls adopts a doll-like falsetto when speaking to boys....but this book takes the obsession to such a new level! Nori's artwork is beautiful and haunting. The doll women in this book creep me out every time I look - it is so unnatural, made to appear so natural.... This is, as far as I can tell, Nori's first book of imagery and she came onto the scene with her guns blazing! The book itself is hardback, 6" x 8.5" and 64 pages. Text is minimal and in Japanese, book reads right to left, Japanese style. |
Draw monsters like Mizuki vol. 2   Size: 8” x 11” - Pages: 44 - Published: 2006 - Price: $28 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a great little book of monster prints by manga master Shigeru Mizuki. Mizuki brought Japanese monster folklore (Yokai) to life for several generations of Japanese kids by brilliantly illustrating and incorperating Japanese traditional ghosts stories into his Manga. In his prints you can see Ukiyo-e masters Yoshitoshi, Kuniyoshi and Hokusai's influences but Mizuki has definitely created a trademark style of his own. I remember his manga when I was a kid growing up here in the early 80's and these same manga are still widely read now. Very cool stuff. This book is a "how to draw like Mizuki" instructional book, it has 12 full page, full color prints, then 12 outlines of the same prints on thicker cardstock - so you can practice, then 12 little outline postcards. It is a great little reference book. Text in Japanese. |
Draw monsters like Mizuki vol. 1   Size: 8” x 11” - Pages: 44 - Published: 2006 - Price: $28 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a great little book of monster prints by manga master Shigeru Mizuki. Mizuki brought Japanese monster folklore (Yokai) to life for several generations of Japanese kids by brilliantly illustrating and incorporating Japanese traditional ghosts stories into his Manga. In his prints you can see Ukiyo-e masters Yoshitoshi, Kuniyoshi and Hokusai's influences but Mizuki has definitely created a trademark style of his own. I remember his manga when I was a kid growing up here in the early 80's and these same manga are still widely read now. Very cool stuff. This book is a "how to draw like Mizuki" instructional book, it has 12 full page, full color prints, then 12 outlines of the same prints on thicker cardstock - so you can practice, then 12 little outline postcards. It is a great little reference book. Text in Japanese. |
Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Kimiya Masago - Great Samurai!   Size: 8.5” x 10” - Pages: 153 - Published: 2006 - Price: $58 - Binding: Hardcover |
This is a book I picked up for myself and thought I'd add, the artwork is amazing. It is by Kimiya Masago and includes an amazing collection of outlaws, ronin, warriors, menacing villans and beautiful women illustrations. Masago's artwork is beautiful and compelling. Brilliant color and a close attention to detail make his illustrations pop off the page. This book includes explanations in both English and Japanese. Great for collectors of Japanese art or Suikoden enthusiasts. Great ideas for non-traditional Japanese-esque tattoos. |
100 Views of Maiko and Geiko - Geisha Reference Books   Size: 7” x 10” - Pages: 108 - Published: 2006 - Price: $35 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a beautiful collection of photos by John Foster called 100 Views of Maiko and Geiko, and is exactly that. 100 photos of Kyoto's legendary geisha. Beautiful colors, elaborate costumes and hair that does not move...ever. Awesome. I have had a lot of request from customers for Geisha reference books and this is the best one I could find. It includes 100 full page, full color vivid photos of different Geisha - names indexed in the back of the book. Text is minimal and in both English and Japanese. |
Japanese Samurai & Ronin Imagery from the 1950's & 60's   Size: 8.5” x 12” - Pages: 140 - Published: 2003 - Price: $48 - Binding: Softcover |
This is another pretty cool little book. It features some great Ronin/Samurai artwork from Japanese comics (manga) covers from the 1950's and 60's. It includes both color and monochrome prints, and is a great reference book for warrior designs. Text is in Japanese and the book read right to left. Great for collectors of Japanese art or Japanese nostalgia enthusiasts. 100's of great ideas for Japanese-esque tattoo design. |
Zenbu by Katsuya Terada    Size: 7.5” x 8” - Pages: 396 - Published: 2003 - Price: $58 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a crazy, incredible book from the disturbingly animated mind of Katsuya Terada. Terada's incorporates Japanese Manga's wide eyed astonishment in his girls, but their innocence is tinged with pointed evil. His heroes are not dainty, they are reminiscent of Frank Miller's Sin City, but with definite Japanese flair. He delves into realms of Fantasy and Sci-Fi as well as robotics and android - bio creations. Rather tank girl-esque. The first 300 pages are full color, the book turns right to left, Japanese style, and he ends it with 100 pages of sketches. Very well done, very thought provoking (not to mention at least 1000 great tattoo ideas) If you are looking for some great new Japanese eye candy, pick this up. |
Antique Sapporo Beer Posters   Size: 6” x 6” - Pages: 50 - Published: 2000 - Price: $30 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a great little book on beer posters from Sapporo beer, dating from 1908 - 1930, put out by the Sapporo beer museum. This book is a great collection of advertisement art. Perfect for the beer enthusiast or collector of Japanese kitch. |
Antique Japanese Advertisement Posters    Size: 4” x 6” - Pages: 260 - Published: 2003 - Price: $25 - Binding: Softcover |
This is a great little book I found full of full page, full color posters from the 30's and 40's....some date back to 1911. The people and graphics in these posters are really great....they capture the trends of the time and, while reminiscent of Western culture in many ways, still retain a strong element of that which is truly Japanese....the assimilation of two very different cultures, even back in the 30's is fascinating. Pictures are much more vivid in the book! Really a great little find. |
Maruo Graphex I by Suehiro Maruo   Size: 7.5” x 10” - Pages: 160 - Published: 2005 - Price: $60 - Binding: Softcover w/cardboard sleeve |
This book is evil, pure and simple. Suehiro Maruo's Maruo Graphex I is beautiful and well constructed, but creepy and horrific. A brilliant duality that is found in each of his intensely graphic illustrations. The imagery draws primarily from Japanese ghost stories and ideas of the macabre. This is a first hand account of what Japanese culture views horrific. This book includes tons of full page, full color and monochrome illustrations as well as a few pages of sketches and 1 manga-esque story at the end. It is a brilliant compilation and contains tons of tattoo ideas and images to serve as food for thought. The book itself is softcover and comes in a thick cardboard sleeve. It is 7.5" x 10" and 176 pages. Text is minimal and in Japanese except for a short review in English by John Zorn. |
Traditional Japanese Hairstyles   Size: 4” x 6” - Pages: 270 - Published: 2000 - Price: $25 - Binding: Softcover |
This book is called Tradition Japanese Coiffures - a great little book of full color photos of the elaborate hairstyles worn with kimono - both modern day styles as well as antique. It is a great reference book for hairstylist, artist interested in traditional Japanese imagery and collectors of Asian photography and culture. Text is in Japanese and the book reads right to left, Japanese style. |
KIRIGA by Risa Fukui - great animals and masks   Size: 7.5” x 10” - Pages: 100 - Published: 2007 - Price: $48 - Binding: Softcover |
This is the first bound collection of rising Japanese artist Risa Fukui entitled KIRIGA. It is an amazing book - Fukui has a very signature style that she successfully applies to a wide variety of subject matter. Amazing animals, great flowers and masks and people. Very cool. Her images swing from cute to haunting, she has a strong grasp on each image's shape and form. Her artwork is unique and multi-dimensional. I keep going back to this book, my eye drawn to different things each time. Brilliant. Would make a great addition to any collection of contemporary Japanese art. Great as well for tattoo ideas, either as is or as a springboard for something original. Text in Japanese but minimal - predominately brilliant illustration. |
Covergirls by Katsuya Terada OOP   Size: 10” x 15” - HUGE - Pages: 124 - Published: 2000 - Price: $120 - Binding: Hardcover |
Katsuya Terada's book Covergirls is amazing. It is definitely his culminate publication and is now out of print and really hard to find! It is well bound and comes in a box. The set includes a sticker set. The book itself is full color and full of stunning full page ladies. His girls are not dainty, per se, they are Frank Miller's Sin City meets Mizuno's Hell Babies! Awesome. He delves into realms of Fantasy and Sci-Fi as well as robot and android - bio creations. Rather tank girl-esque. The girls are full page and detailed, the images crisp. Very, very cool. If you are looking for some great new Japanese eye candy, pick this up. |
Factory - Anna Tsubaki   Size: 7” x 10” - Pages: 144 - Published: 2007 - Price: $60 - Binding: Softcover |
This is the coolest book I've found in a while! It is by Anna Tsubaki and is a collection of her artwork done for FACTORY here in Japan. Brilliant colors and crisp renditions of tattooed street warriors and punk kids in kimono. Artful fusion of old and new Japanese culture - reminiscent of Tenmyouya Hisashi. 100's of images that would make excellent tattoos and loaded with imagery that will hopefully spark original ideas. Text is in Japanese and English. |
Japanese Horror Illustrations by Goujin   Size: 8.5” x 12” - Pages: 196 - Published: 2004 - Price: $48 - Binding: Softcover |
This book is badass! It includes some of the most incredible Japanese horror and noir illustrations I have seen yet. The illustrations are predominately from the late 1960's and are pulled from Ishihara Goujin's cover art. (Book cover art) This book has images not just of Japanese villans like tengu and Kappa but there are a few aliens and wierd fish people as well. If it's evil....it's probably in here! If you have read and Japanese folklore or strange tales (I suggest Kwaidan by Hearn) many of these imgaes will ring a bell. They are based on Japanese traditional ghost stories. Great for collectors of Japanese art or horror enthusiasts. 1000's of great ideas for macabre Japanese-esque tattoos. Text in Japanese. |
Matsui Fuyuko I |
This is a beautiful new book by Matsui Fuyuko - vol. 1 of 2 that she put out earlier this year. I just realized I hadn't uploaded it yet, and will have vol 2 up shortly! It is an awesome collection of illustrations. Fuyuko has a delicate eye that she uses to approach often grim and morbid subject matter creating a brilliantly unsettling juxtapoz. This collection is softcover, well bound and really big - 12" x 12". It is 60 pages, this first half full color prints, the latter half are sketches. The titles and text are in both Japanese and English. This is a must have for Nihonga collectors. |
All images and text copyright Gomineko 2006-2007. Violators who lift any my content will be shot.