Mokko (Ehon) 絵� � �� � , Tsugaru no Warabe Uta 絵� � �軽� �� � � � � (Ehon), Hachi no Tar� (Ehon) 絵� 八� �太� , 3 volumes

Fujita Kenji � �� � � � "� , artist

About this Item

Mokko (Ehon) 絵� � �� � , Tsugaru no Warabe Uta 絵� � �軽� �� � � � � (Ehon), Hachi no Tar� (Ehon) 絵� 八� �太� , 3 volumes Fujita Kenji � �� � � � "� , artist Aomori-ken Bungei Ky� kai Shuppanbu � 森� � � � "� � �� � , publisher Aomori-ken � 森� 1971, 1973, 1975 Mokko (Ehon) � �� � � 絵� Fujita Kenji � �� � � � "� , artist, Kimura Isao � � � � � � , author and Kawashima Keiz� � � � � �� � � � , blockcutter Aomori-ken Bungei Ky� kai Shuppanbu � 森� � � � "� � �� � 1971 Single volume 42 x 29.5cm bound Japanese style, fukuro-toji. Navy fabric wrappers bound with red thread with a printed title slip. No limitation given. Black and white throughout with Japanese text. Illustrated title page followed by 12 large, double-page, woodblock illustrations by Fujita Kenji � �� � � � "� [� ��"�� �� �]. Text is by Kimura Isao � � � � � � and blocks are cut by Kawashima Keiz� � � � � �� � � � . Manga and monsters go hand-in-hand, and in this book, cartoon-like characters face imaginary beasts of large proportions. Fujita uses the double-page to great advantage; the monsters appear even larger and scarier as a result. In Mokko, the first illustration is a landscape of a snowy winter day and the second illustration features a tree that is centered between the pages, stretching over to both sides, while villagers work in the rice fields underneath its branches. The idyllic atmosphere is ruptured in the third illustration, when a creature appears out of nowhere, killing many of the villagers. The gigantic centipede-like insect confronts the citizens and reader across double pages until ultimately the village is saved by the volcano Mokko that watches over it. The last page is simply white text against a dark background. Fujita Kenji [� ��"�� �� �] was born in 1939 in Tsuruta-cho � �"��"� in Aomori-ken � 森� , a lovely, forested prefecture that to this day reflects its name of "Aomori" (� 森, "green woods.") A cartoonist, print artist and essayist, he formerly retired in 1999, but his work continues to be exhibited in museums and featured in local commercial products. Starting out as a civil servant working for the local Minyu Aomori � 森� � newspaper, he was encouraged in his artwork. As a child, he had been inspired by the established manga artists Osamu Tetzuka � � � �� � and Masazo Takenami � 浪�� and so began developing his unique cartoon style, relying on his rural childhood for inspiration. One particular memory, of playing under a neighborhood Tamo tree (� �� �, Japanese ash) , influenced many of his landscape and pictorial images. The artistry of woodblock prints, coupled with the whimsy and nostalgia of childhood, is an intriguing combination. He is also known for his non-fiction book "Kangofu no Oyaji Ganbaru" � � � �� �� �� �� � � "� �� series, based on his own experience of living with a wife who was a nurse, which was made into a movie in 1980. Housed in a fabric-covered navy chitsu 43 x 30.5cm with a centered, printed title slip and navy ties. Fine condition. (Ehon) Tsugaru no Warabe Uta 絵� � �軽� �� � � � � Fujita Kenji � �� � � � "� , artist Aomori-ken Bungei Ky� kai Shuppanbu � 森� � � � "� � �� � 1973 Single volume 42 x 29.5cm bound Japanese style, fukuro-toji. Navy paper wrappers bound with white thread with a printed title slip. Black and white throughout with Japanese text. Labeled 126 of a limitation of 200. Illustrated title page followed by 12 large woodblock illustrations on the left hand side and a song/poem printed in hiragana on the facing page. All but one poem has one or more explanatory notes, suggesting that it was written with children in mind. Charming and witty illustrations with traditional poems similar to western nursery rhymes from the Tsugaru area, the western region of Aomori Prefecture. Charming landscapes of village life, one with a large mountain in the background, others wit. Seller Inventory # 91037

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Title: Mokko (Ehon) 絵� � �� � , Tsugaru no ...