Yuko Shimizu, an award-winning New York-based Japanese illustrator, has been focusing in traditional Japanese art. You may have come across her work on book covers, billboards, Pepsi can or in the pages of the New York Times, but recently The Folio Society has commissioned the illustrator of over 10 years to illustrate a new collection of historic Japanese stories..
Japanese Tales consist of 170 tales which have been around for almost a millennium. They involve characters such as scoundrels and saint, magical healers and ghosts, as well as a range of demons and deities. Colloquial translations of Royall Tyler does not only provide the reader with a window into cultural heritage of Japan but also shows that human conditions – such as jealousy, compassion, lust, benevolence, charity, greed, – are not so far removed from our own experiences.
The Folio Society asked Yuko to illustrate the collection, merging Japanese style with contemporary influences. She has made single and double-page, full-color illustrations alongside black and white line drawings. The illustrations are presented in a blocked-cloth binding and blocked slipcase and a die-cut. The new edition is finished with silvery page tops and a marker ribbon.
Creating illustrations that not only pay homage to Japanese heritage but also help to make the tales relevant to contemporary readers is no small achievement. Whether or not Yuko has succeeded is up to the readers to decide.
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