MK-26

MK-59

MK-89

MK-2

MK-3

MK-4

MK-5, Hodogaya and Kanagawa (Two names of places). Hodogaya, a stage of Tokaido by Hiroshige (cap) is hard to trace its image today in Katapira-cho, Yokohama. Kanagawa (barrel), less than 10 miles from Tokyo, was a busy place in the Meiji era. There were consulate offices from America, France, Britain and the Netherlands.

MK-5

MK-21

MK-22

MK-23

MK-10

MK-15

MK-72

MK-73

MK-74

MK-75

MK-1
MK-1

A wandering cat was picked up by "Kushami", the owner of the house, but he was never given a name until the end. He lay in the house and listened to the funny conversation among Kushami and his old friends and thought that human beings were ridiculously funny. The author's humor was expressed profoundly well and he was very encouraged and wrote another great book, Botchan to establish his top position in Japanese modern literature. In "I am a Cat" there are four cats who have their own community gossip over the fence. Shiro (white) is owned by a serviceman family, Mikeneko, a tortoiseshell cat by an artist, and Kuro, a big black lazy cat from a forwarder, and the hero's owner, Kushami is a poor teacher.

In the last page of this novel, the hero cat, when he was wandering around outside of the house after he drank some beer left by Kushami's guests, fell into a big watered jar. He could not get out of the jar and he thought he was dying. But he still felt good and fell into sleep…………end. He had nine lives, too. He was rescued by a writer who considered himself as the most faithful student of Natsume Soseki, called Uchida Hyakken (1889-1971). He wrote "Gansaku (fake) I am a Cat". This instantly reminded me of Maurice Ravel's Waltz "imitating" Johann Strauss. The "fake" was immediately accepted as a masterpiece.

I asked the artist to paint "I am a Cat" as I am a faithful reader of Soseki's and have continued to enjoy his works for many years. And thanks to Mr.Funanosuke Natsume, Soseki's grandson, the foremost Manga (comics) critic today in Japan who granted his permission to have Soseki's portrait on the pens. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the work.

MK-6
MK-6

MK-9

MK-25

MK-28

MK-32

MK-71

MIKADO > KOICHIRO OKAZAKI (KOGAKU)

MK-36

MK-37

MK-39

MK-40
MK-40

MK-41

MK-42

MK-68, Katamigawari Katami means half body, and Gawari is change. This original idea, with one design on a half of Kimono and in different color combination on the other half, became highly fashionable from Kamakura era (1185-1333) through the early Edo period (1600-1867). Who was the original designer is unknown. The idea probably came from the thrifty Japanese who kept the good parts from worn Kimono and put all of the good parts to make a new piece of Kimono. And the variation of this idea has divided into a few different designs and colors by vertically, horizontally of combined into a checkerboard patterns. This design on Kimono was also adapted by pottery designers such as Oribe-yaki and Maki-e artists in later years such as Kodaiji Maki-e. The Katamigawari in Kodaiji like the rest of Maki-e in the temple has simple Hira Maki-e with strong contrast of designs and colors.

MK-68

MK-76, Seiryu (Blue Dragon)

MK-76

MK-77, Suzaku (The Red Peacock)

MK-77

MK-78, Byakko (The White Tiger)

MK-78

MK-79, Genbu (The serpent and Turtle Gods)

MK-79

MK-31, Kirin
Kirin in Japanese Kana (syllabary) means giraffe, but in Kanji (Chinese characters), it means an imaginary animal in Japan. The design is drawn for the popular imaginary animal as everybody can see on the Kirin beer bottles.

Kirin includes” Ki” as a female and “rin” as a male. The body is like a horse, while its look is like a dragon, and only male has a horn.  Kirin, animal gods represent Justice for good people and it is considered an omen of good luck.

Here is a rarely known story about the100 year old Kirin on the beer bottles, as the label was originally designed by Rokkaku Shisui, (1867-1950) a Maki-e master of Matsuda Gonroku when he was still a starving art student of Tokyo Fine Art School. He was asked by his friend to do it for making some money, and he did. Strangely, the author never talked about this to anyone nor left any written record about this. On the other hand, The headquarter of Kirin Beer also said that they could not find anyone who designed the label until 1961 when Ishikuro Keishichi in his book “A tale of beer” said that his father-in-law, Rokkaku Shisui was asked by the beer company and designed the label for only five yen.

The techniques and materials used by the author, Masanori Omote san are abundant. Taka Maki-e is used on the Kirin’s body and Shishiai Togidashi Maki-e on their faces.

Platinum powder is used on the tails and the wave crest. On the cap he uses Taka Maki-e and Kirigane (rectangular gold foil) and Marugane (round shape gold foil) for the cloud all over, a masterpiece.

MK-31

MK-46, Shukyokusei (Fixed Stars)

MK-46

MK-47, Oshikoyo (Pressed Maple)

MK-47

MK-48, Shinzan Enreiso
Enreiso belongs to lily family grows on high mountain in Japan. It is lily, but unlike most of lily it is poisonous and its shape is far different from most of lily. Each white flower with three petals of Enreiso surrounded by three large wide leaves with 9-12” tall of stalk. The flower blossoms between May and July only on the high mountains in Japan.

MK-48

MK-49, Ryo-Ko (Dragon vs. Tiger)

MK-49

Ise Monogatari (Tales of Ise), (MK-55/56/57/58)
Ise Monogatari is a collection of Japanese poems written in the early Heian period (794-1185) but the writing lasted for more than 50 years. In the beginning, the hero, believed to be an aristocrat, Ariwara Narihira (825-880), was a romantic poet and the tales were  written as a form of biography. But this theory was overturned by the fact that many of the poems were written by some other unknown persons later after Ariwara’s death.  The tales include love, travel, game and friendship, etc. and the tales were increased during the period and it is composed of 125 short episodes today.  The tales were highly valued by the people and greatly influenced “The Tales of Genji” in later years.

The Tales of Ise were so popular in Edo period (1615-1868) that there were more than 100 different “Ise Monogatari” with illustrations. Our “Four Seasons” Maki-e collection was selected from those hundreds of pictures by Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter with the episodes, and the Maki-e artist is Mr. Masanori Omote, a master from Ishikawa prefecture.

MK-55, Spring “Nagisa-no In”,  The temple at Nagisa. Episode #82
An imperial prince, Koretaka drank all the way, when he went hunting with his companions. When they reached Nagisa of Koya, they got down from horses, picked branches of Sakura and put it in their hair composing with Sakura. They composed again and returned to the poems, when they moved to Amanogawa. Finally they went back to Minase Palace, they kept drinking until the moon was disappearing.

MK-55

MK-56, Summer “Kakitsubata”, an iris.   Episode #9
A man with a few companions, feeling helpless in Kyoto decided to go to the east for better living. When they arrived at Hatsuhashi, sat down in the shade of a tree and ate lunch, one of them looking at beautiful flowers of KAKITSUBATA (irides) said “ let’s compose a song”  started with KA KI TSU BA TA of five lines.” Then, someone of them composed
KAragoromo       Dress in Chinese design
KItsutsunareshini         already accustomed to wear it
TSUmashiareba     he left his wife in Kyoto
BArubarukinuru      all the way from home
TAwoshizoomou      sad to think of the traveling
It is sad to think of his wife in Chinese dress left at home and he had to travel all way from her. Because every one of them left his wife home, they all heard the song and tears dropped on the rice.

MK-56

MK-57, Autumn Senya-wo Ichiya-ni, thousand nights as one night.  Episode #22
A man split up with his sweetheart for a trifle, and the woman felt so sad and sent her lover a song dying to see him. He went to see her one night and the woman expressed her emotion as just one night after absence of one thousand nights in Autumn was too short for her with words of love. The man loved her even more than before.

MK-57

MK-58, Winter Ono-no An, The hermitage of Ono. “Though the Snow”,  Episode #83
There was an old man, who worked for Prince Koretaka. One day Koretaka unexpectedly became a priest. The old man walked into the heavy snow and made his way wanted to meet him at his hermitage.  Koretaka looked so boring and sad that he talked with him about the past. The old man went back at that night with tear. The prince neglected the reality as a dream and wonder if he thought of the past?

MK-58

MK-29, Taki (Waterfall)

MK-29

MK-30, Kashiwa-ni Fukurou (The Oak and Owl)

MK-30

MK-65, Mushi-no Ne, Voice of Cricket.

MK-65

MIKADO > TATSUYA TODO

Maki-e Urushi box for The Four Seasons (MK-81/82/83/84)



MK-81, Spring

MK-81

MK-82

MK-83, Autumn

MK-83

MK-84, Winter

MK-84

MK-88, Dolphin

MK-88