Archives: ‘Art/Culture’ Category

Sci-fi illustrations by Shusei Nagaoka

10 Nov 2009

In the 1970s and 1980s, the sci-fi art of Japanese illustrator Shusei Nagaoka graced numerous album covers and appeared in a variety of advertisements, magazines, and movie posters. Here is a small sample of his fantastic work. (Click the "+" under each image to enlarge.)

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Munich Machine (album cover), 1977 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Midnight Star: "The Beginning" (album cover) 1980 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
ELO: "Out of the Blue" (album cover), 1977 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
The Humanoid (movie poster), 1979 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Star Trek [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Conceive [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Airplanes are not as safe as you might think (magazine announcement) [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Earth, Wind & Fire: "I Am" (album cover inside), 1979 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
The Skyliners: "The Love Bug" (album cover), 1978 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Station (illustration for Tsukuba Expo '85), 1984 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Space Flower (illustration for Tsukuba Expo '85), 1984 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Nuclear explosion over Tokyo (for NHK's "Earth After Nuclear War"), 1984 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Monster Bird, 1972 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Deep Purple: "When We Rock, We Rock..." (album cover), 1977 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Sun: "Destination Sun" (album cover), 1977 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
The Sylvers: "New Horizons" (album cover), 1977 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Hovercraft for leisure use, 1975 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Humanoid (magazine cover), 1982 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Bridge (poster for Mitsubishi Cordia XG), 1984 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Station (poster for Mitsubishi Cordia XP), 1984 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Birth (poster for Mitsubishi Starion GSR-X), 1984 [+]

Sci-fi illustration by Shusei Nagaoka --
Caldera: "Sky Island" (album cover), 1970 [+]

[Images from "The Works of Shusei Nagaoka" Part 1 (1981) and Part 2 (1985), NHK Publications]

Velvet kaiju paintings

07 Nov 2009

The fierce beauty of classic Japanese movie monsters is dramatically captured in these black velvet paintings by artist Bruce White.

Gamera by Bruce White --
Gamera

Mechagodzilla by Bruce White --
Mechagodzilla

Godzilla by Bruce White --
Godzilla

Ultraman by Bruce White --
Ultraman

Hedorah by Bruce White --
Hedorah

Mothra by Bruce White --
Mothra

[Via: @bonniegrrl]

Video: Rinpa Eshidan paints a half-pipe

30 Oct 2009

The illustrious Rinpa Eshidan art crew has re-emerged with a dazzling new time-lapse painting performed on a skate ramp.


+ IFO x Rinpa

Animated stereoviews of old Japan

28 Oct 2009

In the late 19th and early 20th century, enigmatic photographer T. Enami (1859-1929) captured a number of 3D stereoviews depicting life in Meiji-period Japan.

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Sumo wrestlers]

A stereoview consists of a pair of nearly identical images that appear three-dimensional when viewed through a stereoscope, because each eye sees a slightly different image. This illusion of depth can also be recreated with animated GIFs like the ones here, which were created from Flickr images posted by Okinawa Soba. Follow the links under each animation for the original stereoviews and background information.

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Meeting at gate]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Buddhist ornament dealer]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Geisha washing their hands in the garden]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Chujenji Road, Nikko]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Geisha playing music]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Firewood dealers]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Great Buddha of Kamakura]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Torii gates at Inari shrine, Kyoto]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Geisha girls with flowers and cat]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Traveler in the mountain fog near Chujenji]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Clam diggers having lunch]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Tokyo Industrial Exposition, Ueno Park, 1907]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Campfire on the peak of Mt. Myogi, Nakasendo]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Geisha in a tearoom]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Kitano temple, Kyoto]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Road along the Fuji river]

Animated stereoview of old Japan  --
[Geisha drinking beer in the park]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Buddhist priest in full dress]

Animated stereoview of old Japan --
[Geisha looking at stereoviews]

Video: Giant animatronic ‘Gomora’ suit

27 Oct 2009

Special effects studio Tsuburaya Productions has released some video of a fancy new animatronic Gomora suit being tested in a parking lot.


+ Video

The Gomora suit — the first in Tsuburaya’s new line of “Dekaiju” giant animatronic monster costumes — stands 3 meters (10 ft) tall and measures 6 meters (20 ft) long from nose to tail. In addition to moving its head, mouth and arms, the glowing-eyed monster can shriek and spit vapor. The studio plans to unleash the new and improved Gomora at promotional events for the upcoming movie “Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend.”

Daily yokai portraits

23 Oct 2009

This month, in the spirit of Halloween, Fukui-based yōkai painter Matt Meyer is creating daily portraits of Japan’s traditional monsters and adding them to his A-Yokai-A-Day collection. Here are a few images from the site, which will be updated with a lovely new terror each day until the end of October.

Kuchisakeonna, the severed-mouth woman
Kuchisake-onna — slit-mouth woman

Akaname, the bathroom scum licker --
Akaname — bathroom scum licker


Nurarihyon, leader of the yokai --
Nurarihyon — yōkai boss

Yamamba, the mountain hag --
Yama-uba — mountain hag


Hyosube -- --
Hyōsube — river imp

[Link: A-Yokai-A-Day]

Computopia: Old visions of a high-tech future

22 Oct 2009

Computopia -- [+]

In 1969, Shōnen Sunday magazine featured a series of illustrated articles entitled "Computopia," which depicted life in a pleasant future pervaded by computers. Here are three illustrations from the series (1, 2, 3).

* * * * *

- Future Classroom

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

"The Rise of the Computerized School," illustrated by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, takes a peek inside the classroom of the future, where the teacher is an image on a screen and students sit at desks equipped with computers. When the teacher presents a problem, the students input the answer into their computers. If an answer is incorrect, the students use a light pen to make revisions on the monitor until the computer says it is right.

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

For the purpose of maintaining order, the future classroom will come equipped with watchful robots that rap students on the head if they lose focus or act up. [View full image]

* * * * *

- Future Home

This illustration by Toshio Okazaki, entitled "Computer Life in 20 Years," depicts what the typical household might look like 20 years in the future -- in 1989 -- after computers have become an integral part of daily life.

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

In this high-tech home, dad chats on the videophone while the wall-mounted home computer spits out a newspaper and the automatic air conditioner cools the room.

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

Junior's eyes are glued to the 3D TV while an autonomous vacuum robot cleans the floor nearby. A hovercraft floats in the sky outside the window.

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

Mom performs calculations on a miniature home computer.

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

The home is also furnished with nifty devices such as an automatic iron, an autonomous wheeled table that keeps food warm, and a kitchen robot that sets the table and takes care of the dishes. [View full image]

* * * * *

- Future Hospital

"The Amazing Unmanned Operating Room," illustrated by Teruya Yamamoto, takes a peek inside the computerized hospital of the future.

Computopia, old visions of a computerized future --

In this unmanned operating room, a computer-controlled robot arm is performing a heart transplant with cool precision. The patient's heart has been removed and placed on the adjacent table. Before inserting the new artificial heart, the computer waits for instructions from the human doctor, who is monitoring the procedure on a screen in the next room. [View full image]

[Via: 昭和の雑誌広告・懐かしモノ]

Alien squid hijacks movie trailer

21 Oct 2009

Alien squid invades trailer for Watashi Dasuwa --

In Hakodate, the battle rages on between alien squid from the planet Ikaaru and giant robots shaped like the city's landmarks. In their latest offensive, the dastardly squid invaders have muscled their way into the trailer for "It's on Me" (Watashi Dasuwa), a new film shot on location in Hakodate.


+ Video

The film, which debuts today at the Tokyo International Film Festival, is a low-key drama about a woman who returns to her hometown to spread the wealth she accumulated in Tokyo.

Although the story itself has nothing to do with aliens (and unfortunately no extraterrestrials actually appear in the film), it happens to be set in Hakodate, which is home to an unconventional tourism campaign involving giant robots that defend the city against alien cephalopods seeking revenge on a population that eats too much squid. This tourism campaign has now wrapped its tentacles around the film.


+ Video: Alien squid dances next to a streetcar advertising the film

The new and improved trailer, which was recently posted on the film's YouTube channel, is nearly identical to the original version, except for the appearance of alien invaders. Only in Hakodate.

[Via: Nippon Cinema]

18th-century ‘Hyakki Yako’ scroll (for sale)

20 Oct 2009

Hyakki Yako scroll --

An 18th-century picture scroll featuring a procession of Japanese demons and monsters is for sale on eBay. This 11.25 meter (37 ft) long work depicts the Hyakki Yakō (lit. "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons") -- a deadly parade of demons and yōkai (traditional monsters) that, according to Japanese folklore, would often take place on summer nights. The Hyakki Yakō was a popular theme in Japanese visual art during the Edo period, and portrayals of these processions, while frightening, often incorporated a sense of humor. Here are a few images of the scroll, which is currently priced at $15,000.

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

Hyakki Yako scroll --

See more images and details on the eBay page for this item.

[Thanks, Darren!]