Japanese Imports

THE ART OF DISNEY. [SN26870X] $200

Tokyo: Museum of Contemporary Art, 2006. 1st. Oblong 4to (11-13" wide), 244pp, color, wraps. VF.

This is the beautiful full-color catalogue for the largest exhibition of Disney animation artwork in history. Held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 7/15/06-9/24/06 and featuring 200 "lost" pieces of Disney artwork from Chiba University and 350 pieces from the Animation Research Library, Walt Disney Feature Animation. Covering a period from Mickey shorts up to and including Sleeping Beauty. Foreword by Lella F. Smith, Director ARL. Afterword by Martin A. Sklar, VP Imagineering. Foreword, Afterword, captions and index are all in both English & Japanese. Some additional text is only in Japanese.

EDGE: A COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS. [SN23301] $95

Japan: TO Entertainment, 2004. 1st. Folio (13" or taller), 72pp, color, wraps. VF/VF. "The animators, illustrators, and cartoonists representing Japan have gathered for the sake of supreme purpose. That is the 'edge'. It's the illustration, drawn freely by the top creators with the common theme. Now they unleashed their most radical expression to the cutting edge." 34 double-page color illustrations by 34 artists.

OUTSTANDING AMERICAN ILLUSTRATORS TODAY. [SN5806] $75

Tokyo: Graphic-sha, 1984. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 344pp, color, cloth. NF (one corner scraped). 234 20th-century artists. Profiles of each artist with birthdate, education, exhibitions, publications, etc. Parker, Peak, etc. Text in both English and Japanese.

KITTY GOODS COLLECTION VOL. 5. [SN15238] $35

Japan: 1999. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 108pp, color, wraps. Fine. An exhaustive pictorial collection of Hello Kitty products from 1999. Text in Japanese.

REPLICANT (GARAGE KIT & CHARACTER FIGURE) VOL. 1. [SN11953] $12

Tokyo: Dainippon, 1997. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 112pp, over 900 color photos, wraps. VF. Over 900 high quality color photos of Japanese garage kit and character figures. The quality and craftsmanship in these built-up kits is amazing. 90% are female figures.

Yoshitoshi Abe. YOSHITOSHI ABE LAIN ILLUSTRATIONS. [SN19383] $60

Tokyo: Wanimagazine, 2005. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 160pp, color and b&w, boards. VF in VF illustrated slipcase. A collection of color illustrations by this contemporary Japanese manga artist/illustrator. The pencil versions are sometimes reproduced opposite the finished versions and a chapter of pencil drawings finishes the volume. Text in Japanese.

Yoshitaka Amano. THE ILLUSTRATIONS FOR TAROT CARD OF YOSHITAKA AMANO. [SN11652] $75

Tokyo: Kofusha Shuppan, 1991. 4to (11-13"), 112pp, 56 color and 57 b&w illustrations, wraps. Fine/Fine. Amano's lovely illustrations for a tarot card set are reproduced as full page color plates.

Yoshitaka Amano. MATEN: THE ART OF YOSHITAKA AMANO. [SN25646] $50

Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1984. 4to (11-13"), 106pp, 63 color and 47 b&w illustrations, wraps. VG/VG+ (lower corner lightly water stained otherwise NF) . Amano's first collection. Works in acrylic, watercolor, pen & ink. Text in Japanese.

Marshall Arisman. HEAVEN DEPARTED. [SN5973] $75

Tokyo: Tokyo Designer School, 1989. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 108pp, 59 full-page and double-page color illustrations, wraps. VG+. A series of dark paintings musing on the Pandora's box of nuclear weapons.

Peter Max. GOD. [SN5552] $75

Tokyo: Hayakawa Shobo, 1970. 1st thus. 4to (11-13"), 32pp, 17 full-page color illustrations, pictorial boards. VG+ (two bottom corners bumped o/w Fine). Psychedelic pop art by the iconic seventies artist. With the words of Swami Sivananda, Himalayas. Text in English and Japanese.

Hayao Miyazaki. TIGER IM SCHLAMM. [SN20489x] $45

Japan: Kaiga, 2002. 4to (11-13"), 88pp, color, wraps. VF/VF. This volume collects a multi-part comic story by Miyazaki originally published in Model Graphix, a Japanese magazine for plastic model enthusiasts. The story centers around the WWII German tank the Tiger I. Between chapters are photos of the tanks in action and Miyazaki’s sojourn to Germany to retrace the tank battlefields. Text in Japanese.

Range Murata. FUTURHYTHM: 2ND DRAWING WORKS LIMITED EDITION 48 + 28. [SN25626] $350

Tokyo: Wanimagazine, 2003. 1st. Folio (13" or taller), 150pp, color and b&w, custom binder. VF in a VF slipcase in a Fine box. Range Murata's second professionally published collection of artwork. This is the full-size first edition published in 2003. (It was reprinted in a revised, smaller format in 2004.) The book is a custom, brushed aluminum binder with three sections: 50 full-page color images on heavy matte cardstock; illustrations on slick stock with fold-out posters, mini-books, and other gimmicks; and an 80-page two-color book with misc. drawings and sketches; in a custom plastic slipcase. Minimal text in Japanese.

Range Murata. LIKE A BALANCE LIFE. [SN25625] $450

Tokyo: Wanimagazine, 1997. 1st. Folio (13" or taller), 96pp, color and b&w, wraps. VF in a NF box (mild crease to the top of the box lid). Range Murata's first professionally published collection of artwork. This is the full-size first edition published in 1997. (It was reprinted in a half-size format in 2000 and also sold-out.) The package consists of a posterbook with 40 full-page color images on heavy cardstock; a 44-page vinyl covered softcover book (with 16 pages of color illustrations, 8 pages of two-color comics, and 20 pages of misc. drawings and sketches); three mats for the posters; in a custom printed box. Minimal text in Japanese.

Range Murata, et al. ROBOT #1. [SN19742] $30

Tokyo: Wanimagazine, 2004. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 164pp, color, wraps. VF/VF. Subtitled, "Super Color Comic." A superbly printed full color collection of cutting edge manga artists/illustrators selected by artist/illustrator Range Murata. Great stuff by Yoshitoshi Abe, Shigeki Maeshima, Hiroyuki Asada, Shin Nagasawa,Ugetsu Hakua, Haccan, Mie Nekoi, Yug, Yasuto Miura, Miggy. Wonderful Arzach homage by Makoto Kobayashi. Text in Japanese.

Range Murata, et al. ROBOT #4. [SN19387] $30

Tokyo: Wanimagazine, 2005. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 168pp, color, wraps. VF/VF. Subtitled, "Super Color Comic." A superbly printed full color collection of cutting edge manga artists/illustrators selected by artist/illustrator Range Murata. Great stuff by Yumi Tada, Okama, Enomoto, Rco Wada, Yusuke Kozaki, Fujijun, Yoshitoshi Abe, Shigeki Maeshima, Hiroyuki Asada, Shin Nagasawa, Imperial Boy, Miggy. Text in Japanese.

Mel Odom. FIRST EYES. [SN23650] $50

Tokyo: Genko-sha, 1982. 4to (11-13"), 96pp, 90 color and 16 b&w illustrations, wraps. VG+ (mild wear). One of only a few collections of work by this homoerotic illustrator of books and magazines: color illustrations, pencil drawings, masks, and a dozen photos of Odom's studio. Mostly Japanese text. A brief biography, and essays by James McMullan, Kerig Pope (Playboy art director), and Hiroko Tanaka (editor, Illustration Magazine) in English.

Mark Ryden. FUSHIGI CIRCUS. [SN19895] $75

Japan: PIE Books, 2006. 1st. 8vo (8-9"), 128pp, color, cloth. VF. First printing limited to 10,000 copies worldwide. "Mysterious Circus." A beautifully produced, clothbound collection of the works of Mark Ryden. A survey of 55 of Ryden's most impressive works from 1994 to 2005. Features new previously unpublished or uncollected works, including Blood, Sweat, Tears, and The Creatrix (which Mark spent an entire year painting). 55 paintings, 3 details, and 7 additional images. Only the second hardcover Ryden monograph. Text in Japanese. Titles in English & Japanese

Hajime Sorayama. THE GYNOIDS. [SN25139] $45

Tokyo: Treville, 1993. 1st. Folio (13" or taller), 110pp, 59 color illustrations, wraps. Fine/NF (DJ slightly rubbed).

Isao Takahata. MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS: THE ORIGINAL STORYBOARDS (STUDIO GHIBLI STORYBOARDS VOLUME 12: MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS). [SN24518] $50

Japan: Studio Ghibli, 2002. 4to (11-13"), 662pp, two-color illustrations, wraps. Fine/NF in NF slipcase. The complete storyboards drawn by director Isao Takahata. Over 3600 storyboard frames. Text in Japanese.

Obata Takeshi. HIKARU NO GO ILLUSTRATIONS. [SN19013] $45

Japan: 2002. 4to (11-13"), 200pp, color, cloth. VF/VF. A great collection of Takeshi Obata's work including characters Akira Toya and Hikaru Shindo. Text in Japanese.

Katsuya Terada. VIRTUA FIGHTER 2: TEN STORIES. [SN26182] $60

Tokyo: Aspect, 1994. 1st. Small 4to (9-11"), 128pp, color, pictorial boards. Fine/Fine. This book collects ten stories and a illustration gallery by Terada. Text is in Japanese.

Akihiro Yamada. WORLD OF YAMADA AKIHIRO. [SN19368X] $60

Japan: Softbank, 2003. 4to (11-13"), 120pp, 72 color pages and 47 b&w pages, wraps. VF/VF. Akihiro Yamada is an author, manga artist, and designer/illustrator for video & RPG games. His artwork is absolutely beautiful. This collects his artwork & design work for the RPG game Mystic Ark. Pre-production paintings and drawings, character designs, and miscellaneous designs. Beautiful pen & ink drawings with subtle coloring. Beautiful lyrical artwork, unlike any other Japanese artist, very European in style. It also contains a folded full-size poster of the cover illustration. Text in Japanese.

Akihiro Yamada. YAMADA AKIHIRO: A COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS. [SN21114X] $60

Japan: 2004. 4to (11-13"), 152pp, 80 color pages and 72 b&w pages, wraps. VF/VF. Akihiro Yamada is an author, manga artist, and designer/illustrator for video & RPG games. His artwork is absolutely beautiful. This volume features a wide array of drawings and styles. Artwork for book covers, RPG games, comics, etc. Beautiful ink and watercolor drawings. Beautiful lyrical artwork, very European in style. Text in Japanese.

Akihiro Yamada. YAMADA AKIHIRO: RAHXEPHON ART WORKS. [SN19388X] $50

Japan: Softbank, 2004. 4to (11-13"), 128pp, 32 color pages and 96 b&w pages, wraps. VF/VF. Akihiro Yamada is an author, manga artist, and designer/illustrator for videos and RPGs. His artwork is absolutely beautiful. This art collection is divided into four sections: illustrations, character designs, other designs, and early works. Beautiful lyrical color artwork. Beautiful pen and ink drawings. For the animated TV series and film. Very European in style. Text in Japanese.

Shunya Yamashita. WILD FLOWER: SHUNYA YAMASHITA ILLUSTRATION 2. [SN24913X] $60

Japan: 2008. 1st. 4to (11-13"), 128pp, color, wraps. VF/VF. Yamashita is a video game character designer & illustrator in the mold of Hyung-tze Kim and Hakua Ugetsu but Yamashita’s art is softer and cuter. He is increasingly known for his pin-up style drawings of women (a line of statues and PVC figures based on his character designs appear regularly in Previews). This is his second collection of illustrations (we carried his first, Sweet Dreams, a few years ago). Unpublished Works. Figures. Video Games. Card Games. Web & T-Shirts. Magazines & Books. Monochrome Illustrations. This book is 90% girls. "Cute & Funny & Erotic!!" Minimal text in Japanese.

Katsu Yoshida. HIGH COUP. [SN19439] $20

Tokyo: Kodansha, 1985. 1st. Small 4to (9-11"), 323pp, color, wraps. Fine/NF . At the time of this collection, Yoshida was one of Japan's top illustrators. Color illustrations mostly of musicians, performers and celebrities for posters, magazine and album covers, editorial illustrations, etc. Very 1980s, Interview Magazine, pop-style illustrations.

Also:

Katsuhiro Otomo. AKIRA BOOK 1. [SN25203] $50

NY: Barnes & Noble, 2004. 1st. Small 4to (9-11"), 364pp, color and b&w, cloth. VF/VF.

A clothbound hardcover variant of Dark Horse's telephone book-size Volume One. This and the Dark Horse volumes are now out of print and Akira is not currently available in English.

Osamu Tezuka. BUDDHA VOL. 2: THE FOUR ENCOUNTERS. [SN26055] $25

NY: Vertical, 2003. 1st American. 8vo (8-9"), 415pp, b&w, pictorial boards. Two corners lightly bumped otherwise VF/VF. Tezuka (1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. This long form eight volume graphic novel is an involving and moving telling of the life story of the Buddha. This American edition is designed by Chip Kidd.

Osamu Tezuka. BUDDHA VOL. 3: DEVADATTA. [SN26056] $25

NY: Vertical, 2004. 1st American. 8vo (8-9"), 327pp, b&w, pictorial boards. VF/VF. Tezuka (1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. This long form eight volume graphic novel is an involving and moving telling of the life story of the Buddha. This American edition is designed by Chip Kidd.

Osamu Tezuka. BUDDHA VOL. 4: THE FOREST OF URUVELA. [SN26057] $25

NY: Vertical, 2004. 1st American. 8vo (8-9"), 376pp, b&w, pictorial boards. VF/VF. Tezuka (1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. This long form eight volume graphic novel is an involving and moving telling of the life story of the Buddha. This American edition is designed by Chip Kidd.

Osamu Tezuka. BUDDHA VOL. 5: DEER PARK. [SN26058] $25

NY: Vertical, 2004. 1st American. 8vo (8-9"), 256pp, b&w, pictorial boards. VF/VF. Tezuka (1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. This long form eight volume graphic novel is an involving and moving telling of the life story of the Buddha. This American edition is designed by Chip Kidd.

Osamu Tezuka. BUDDHA VOL. 7: PRINCE AJATASATTU. [SN26060] $25

NY: Vertical, 2005. 1st American. 8vo (8-9"), 420pp, b&w, pictorial boards. VF/VF. Tezuka (1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. This long form eight volume graphic novel is an involving and moving telling of the life story of the Buddha. This American edition is designed by Chip Kidd.

Osamu Tezuka. BUDDHA VOL. 8: JETAYANA. [SN26061] $25

NY: Vertical, 2005. 1st American. 8vo (8-9"), pp, b&w, pictorial boards. VF/VF. Tezuka (1928-89) is the godfather of Japanese manga comics. This long form eight volume graphic novel is an involving and moving telling of the life story of the Buddha. This American edition is designed by Chip Kidd.

Tezuka Productions. LET'S DRAW MANGA: ASTRO BOY. [SN24554] $15

Carson: Digital Manga, 2004. 1st. Small 4to (9-11"), 132pp, b&w, wraps. Fine/Fine. A complete guide to drawing Astro Boy; with turnarounds, expressions, action poses, etc.

Tadahiro Uesugi, et al. Delicatessen, MONDOFRAGILE: MODERN FASHION ILLUSTRATORS FROM JAPAN. [SN22193] $90

Modena, Italy: Happy Books, 2002. 2nd. 4to (11-13”), 176pp, over 400 color illustrations, wraps. VG+ (mild shelf wear).

A great collection of artworks by 24 Japanese illustrators. Tadahiro Uesugi is obviously the star of this survey and he clearly sets the tone for the rest of the book. 22 illustrations by Tadahiro, none of which appear in Three Trees. Other excellent artists included are All text in English & Italian.

“MONDOFRAGILE (FRAGILEWORLD) is a dream which has become true. The book together with the itinerary exhibition and this website shows it in a complete form. More then a massive compilation of images MONDOFRAGILE represents an incredible fresco on the contemporary illustration turned on fashion. The 24 artists involved in the project are in constant balance between Japanese forms-images and aesthetic Euro-Western fascination. The chosen works witness the different forms of daily life, of intimate space and inspired gesture; they are images often recollecting a nostalgia of something simple. This Simplicity of Intuition typical of the Japanese culture, becomes an inspiration source for all those involved in the communication field, design or for those simply attracted by the figurative art. Having a look to the images - more then 400 in the book - and dwelling upon the most evocative ones can be a satisfying experience towards the perception of a shared (fragile) world.”

Tadahiro Uesugi. TADAHIRO UESUGI PRINT. [SN23726] $625

np: Nucleus Gallery, 2007. 1st. 24x32, color, on heavy stock. VF. Signed by the artist. A beautiful color print by Tadahiro Uesugi. 19x27 image size on a 24x32 sheet. Eight color process printing. One of a very small number printed to order and signed by Tadahiro.

Hakua Ugetsu. FLAMBOYANT: UGETSU HAKUA WORKS. [SN24715X] $25

Gardena: DMP, 2008. 1st American. 4to (11-13"), 132pp, color and b&w, wraps. VF.

Hakua Ugetsu is an illustrator, manga artist, and character designer (Bakuretsu Tenshi AKA Burst Angel) with a lush style. This is the American edition of his first art book and includes five additional color illustrations not in the Japanese edition. 99 color illustrations (either full-page or double-page) plus 33 pages of b&w drawings. Includes the artist's commentary on each piece. Text in English.