day 275 - washroom washi...

Toilet paper, Higashi Ryokan Hotel, Kinosaki.

Well D'uh! Where else ya gonna use it ?!

As well as having wood block prints all over Himeji, Ken Iwata is often commissioned to do stuff for schools, like text-book covers - and toilet paper!

day 272 - Ken Iwata

Just one of the hundreds of prints we saw by this prolific artist.

The gallery is recent, but finished in the traditional style of un-whitewashed mud and straw.

Ken's wife Miki-san explains some of the philosophy behind his work.

Ken-san wasn't available on Saturday, so we had to be satisfied with this plywood facsimile in his studio!

The tradition of ukiyo-e is alive and well in modern Japan. 

You don't have to walk far in Himeji without seeing the contemporary work of woodblock artist Ken Iwata. We were invited to an exhibition of Ken-san's work on Saturday. What I really like about his work is its simplicity and  his love of the city which comes through so clearly in his work. He loves traditional buildings of the old Japan (Himeji-jo often features), but he also includes buses, trains and the stuff of urban Japan. Miki-san also pointed out that Ken often likes to include people at work and at play in his prints. 

Thanks, Miki-san for the personalised tour!