White Ship 20th Anniversary Project

KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021
Project

KUNIHIKO YAZAWA
Complete Works 1993-2021
Project

To mark White Ship’s 20th Anniversary, we will be publishing Kunihiko Yazawa’s monograph - a comprehensive survey of his work from 1993-2021, spanning 2,352 works. In this monograph we have eschewed a chronological approach to organising Yazawa’s diverse and eclectic oeuvre which defies easy categorisation. Instead we invite readers to explore Yazawa’s art across 7 ‘Elements.' This monograph will be produced as a limited edition of 250 copies which we look forward to sharing with collectors, fans of Yazawa’s work and many of you who have supported Yazawa’s art and White Ship’s journey over the years.
 
18 months from the project’s conception, although the monograph has proven to be a much bigger undertaking than we’d ever imagined and our team has at moments been overwhelmed by the sheer power and volume of Yazawa’s oeuvre, we have been working hard to create a world class product we can be proud of. The result is a beautiful boxed set of 2 volumes, each volume with over 400 pages filled with Yazawa’s art. I am delighted to invite you to participate in this project and take this opportunity to immerse yourself in Yazawa's art and experience the possibilities of art in the 21st century.
 

                                                            Kimi Hasebe
CEO, White Ship, Inc.

Product Image

 
 

 

Limited edition of 250 copies / Language: English, Japanese /
Box set of 2 volumes, Vol 1. 410 pages, Vol 2. 414 pages / Individually numbered and signed by Yazawa

Project Details

 
 
画 KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021
1 Set
 
Limited edition of 250 copies / Numbered edition / Signed by Kunihiko Yazawa
Size: 296mm×260mm/Box set of 2 volumes, Vol 1. 410 pages, Vol 2. 414 pages/Language: English, Japanese
 
 
Price 150,000 yen
※ 165,000円 including consumption tax, shipping inside Japan

Get involved

Monograph Project

 

Limited Edition Art Posters

 

We will be offering a selection of limited edition art posters to mark the publication
of Yazawa's first monograph, "KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021."
We have selected 12 works from Yazawa's vast body of 2,352 artworks.
 
Some of the works have never been exhibited before -
we hope you will enjoy encountering these new works.
 
Each of the posters will be offered in a limited edition of 20 prints. However, feel free to
select a set of two posters or even one of each of all 12 posters to hang in your office.
 
All posters come framed in a natural wood finish frame.
 
Limited edition of 20 posters
28,000 yen(inclusive of consumption tax)
(Poster size: A2 / Frame: 612 x 438 mm)
 
 
Click on the poster images to view a larger image.

Order a poster >>

 
01
Salt mountain
 
2019
Original work: 120 x 91cm
Featured in Element 2
 
02
Dance at night, consume the night
 
2017
Original work: 160 x 120cm
Featured in Element 2
 
03
Where are you going
 
2013
Original work: 54 x 46.5cm
Featured in Element 1 
 
04
Epiphany
 
2013
Original work: 54 x 46.5cm
Featured in Element 1 
 
05
The stones
 
2018
Original work: 91 x 120cm
Featured in Element 2 
 
06
Forest of stones
 
2018
Original work: 91 x 120cm
Featured in Element 2 
 
07
The shipyard
 
2016
Original work: 90 x 120cm
Featured in Element 2 
 
08
My life goes to infinity
 
2017
Original work: 120 x 160cm
Featured in Element 2
 
09
slumber
 
2020
Original work: 60 x 60cm
Featured in Element 1
 
10
an ode to joy
 
2020
Original work: 70 x 70cm
Featured in Element 1 
 
11
Stairs of thoughts
 
2021
Original work: 54 x 46.5cm
Featured in Element 6 
 
12
To that place
 
2021
Original work: 54 x 46.5cm
Featured in Element 6 
 

KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works
1993-2021

Contents I
 
Foreword   - Kimi Hasebe
Journey to the beginning   - Kunihiko Yazawa
Element 1
Element 2
Element 3
List of works
Contents II
 
Element 4
Element 5
Element 6
Element 7
Chronology
List of works

Element 1

Element 2

Element 3

Element 4

Element 5

Element 6

Element 7

Vision Art・EGAKU

Vision Art

EGAKU

The Making Of
KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021

 

Visit to the printing factory - July 2022

 
We would not have been able to realize this project without the contribution and support of printing professionals.
At the beginning we weren’t sure who to turn to, but another project we were working on led us to Okamura Printing Industries.
Okamura Printing Industries has a history of 100 years and has been trusted by artists and clients for their deep expertise, working with contemporary artists such as Yayoi Kusama as well as being involved in cultural projects such as the joint research project of the Takematsuzaka Burial Mounds with the Japanese government’s Agency of Cultural Affairs. Above all, the presence of our printing director, Shimizu-san of Okamura Printing Industries, has been invaluable. He has accompanied us on this journey over the past 18 months and has been instrumental in giving us the confidence to bring this project – the publication of our first monograph – into fruition.
This summer, having submitted the final manuscript, the project entered the final phase of printing and binding, Kuni-san and I visited the printing factory in Kurumaki, not far from Asuka Village in Nara Prefecture.
 
Our factory visit kicked off with a warm welcome by the Okamura Printing Industries team, including the CEO and senior management team, the production manager,  head of quality assurance, and the Tokyo office manager. We immediately felt at ease.
Onishi-san, the deputy quality assurance manager explained how their work is supported by the skills and deep expertise of their craftsmen, we came away impressed by the care and precision with which these printing professionals undertake each stage of the printing process. This is a short video of the visit filmed on my iPhone, we hope you enjoy these behind the scenes making of the monograph as well as Kuni-san’s playful appearance in the distinctive “jellyfish-esque” headgear!

The Making Of
KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021

 

A prayer for the project’s success - July 2022

Okamura Printing Industries’ main printing facilities are located in a part of Nara steeped in Japan’s ancient history, the surrounding landscape is dotted with kofun (ancient burial mounds) and various historical remains. Asuka Village, famed for its stone burial mounds is a short drive away, and in the hill behind the factory lies the imperial tomb of the Empress Kogyoku, the mother of Emperor Tenji (626-672AD) known for the Taika Reforms. If we hadn’t been visiting in the middle of a heatwave, we would have liked to spend more time exploring the area but this time our visit was limited to a quick day trip to visit the printing factory. We did however drop by the neighboring Kashihara Shrine to pray for the project’s success.

img_6733.jpg img_6736.jpg img_6738.jpg

This was our first ever visit to Kashihara Shrine. The shrine is located in the preserved forest sanctuary at the base of Mount Unebi, one of the three Yamato mountains and the shrine precincts resemble Meiji Jingu – but on a larger scale. The sprawling shrine grounds were calm and peaceful, and there was an air of sanctity surrounding the inner shrine. Standing there you had the feeling that all prayers would be heard.
 
It was a happy coincidence to discover that Okamura Printing Industries was located near a place of such beauty and historical significance. I felt this place had a benevolent energy, an energy that would perhaps carry Kuni-san’s art from Japan to the world.

The Making Of
KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021

 

Photo Album (2020-2022)

The Making Of
KUNIHIKO YAZAWA Complete Works 1993-2021

 

Kunihiko Yazawa Complete Works 1993-2021 Launch Party 
- Opening Reception, Kunihiko Yazawa "花の標本 - my herbarium” Exhibition - 
October 14, 2022