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▼ Art a la Ukiyo-e We Can All Relate To
- Category:Other
FUKUOKA — In an illustration, the kimono-wearing figures appear to be straight out of ukiyo-e, but the setting is contemporary: at an office. One of the three figures, who seems to be the boss, says: “You lack ‘motivation!’ ‘Motivation!’” Right next to the line is another sentence:
“The boss is already using the English word I just taught him.”
Another illustration shows a samurai holding what appears to be a bowl of miso soup, accompanied by a sentence saying: “That great feeling you get when you find a crab in a clam.”
Fukuoka-based Zenjido Yamada draws illustrations to describe everyday situations in a witty, ukiyo-e style and uploads his works every day on Instagram. They are making a splash, with the artist’s account garnering more than 150,000 followers. A compilation of his works was also published last month.
The 34-year-old illustrator, whose real name is Takayuki Yamada, runs a website production company in Fukuoka, while also studying local history, which he then writes about in his blog, covering topics such as lesser-known historical sites.
Although he never studied art at school, Yamada began drawing illustrations using a tablet and a stylus last year to study design. People around him praised the artworks that feature what look like townsfolk during the Edo period (1603-1867) engaged in day-to-day activities in modern life, such as playing an electric guitar.
Encouraged by the response, Yamada dedicated more time to drawing and adopted the artistic pseudonym Zenjido after Fukuoka-based haiku poet Zenjido Yoshioka (1889-1961), who used colloquial words in his poems about everyday life. Yamada uses different kanji characters for his artist name, however, with his meaning “fully automatic” while the poet’s kanji means “a Zen temple cave.”
“The boss is already using the English word I just taught him.”
Another illustration shows a samurai holding what appears to be a bowl of miso soup, accompanied by a sentence saying: “That great feeling you get when you find a crab in a clam.”
Fukuoka-based Zenjido Yamada draws illustrations to describe everyday situations in a witty, ukiyo-e style and uploads his works every day on Instagram. They are making a splash, with the artist’s account garnering more than 150,000 followers. A compilation of his works was also published last month.
The 34-year-old illustrator, whose real name is Takayuki Yamada, runs a website production company in Fukuoka, while also studying local history, which he then writes about in his blog, covering topics such as lesser-known historical sites.
Although he never studied art at school, Yamada began drawing illustrations using a tablet and a stylus last year to study design. People around him praised the artworks that feature what look like townsfolk during the Edo period (1603-1867) engaged in day-to-day activities in modern life, such as playing an electric guitar.
Encouraged by the response, Yamada dedicated more time to drawing and adopted the artistic pseudonym Zenjido after Fukuoka-based haiku poet Zenjido Yoshioka (1889-1961), who used colloquial words in his poems about everyday life. Yamada uses different kanji characters for his artist name, however, with his meaning “fully automatic” while the poet’s kanji means “a Zen temple cave.”
Yamada said his work is “about the little embarrassing moments you have in everyday life,” with the ideas coming from his own experiences while working as a company employee and taking care of a relative’s child.
He began uploading his works on Instagram in December last year, and it wasn’t long before he saw a spike in the number of his followers on the platform. Many of his followers, from company employees to homemakers, empathized with and were amused by the words accompanying the illustrations, such as “A new recruit is trying to give his business card to someone in his own company” or “I realize I’m more fascinated by this children’s TV show than my children are.”
Yamada’s illustrations became popular enough for him to begin drawing regularly for the Instagram account of Mynavi Corp., a major operator of job hunting and recruiting websites, for the enjoyment of job-seeking students. In September, a compilation of his illustrations, “Yamada Zenjido de gozaru” (I’m Zenjido Yamada), was published by Tokyo-based Pia Corp.
On Sunday, his illustrations were put on permanent display at the Saga Ninja Village Hizenyumekaidou theme park in Ureshino, Saga Prefecture, which showcases a mock Edo-period townscape. Ureshino is a neighboring city of Kashima, Yamada’s hometown.
“I’m glad [my works] have won the hearts of people around the country,” Yamada said. “I’ll keep on drawing episodes of everyday life that make you laugh.”
Yamada’s illustrations are on display at Standard Bookstore Shinsaibashi in Osaka until Oct. 29. A cafe featuring his works runs from Oct. 6 to 22 at Aeon Lake Town shopping mall in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture. Please visit www.instagram.com/y_haiku/ for more information.
He began uploading his works on Instagram in December last year, and it wasn’t long before he saw a spike in the number of his followers on the platform. Many of his followers, from company employees to homemakers, empathized with and were amused by the words accompanying the illustrations, such as “A new recruit is trying to give his business card to someone in his own company” or “I realize I’m more fascinated by this children’s TV show than my children are.”
He began uploading his works on Instagram in December last year, and it wasn’t long before he saw a spike in the number of his followers on the platform. Many of his followers, from company employees to homemakers, empathized with and were amused by the words accompanying the illustrations, such as “A new recruit is trying to give his business card to someone in his own company” or “I realize I’m more fascinated by this children’s TV show than my children are.”
Yamada’s illustrations became popular enough for him to begin drawing regularly for the Instagram account of Mynavi Corp., a major operator of job hunting and recruiting websites, for the enjoyment of job-seeking students. In September, a compilation of his illustrations, “Yamada Zenjido de gozaru” (I’m Zenjido Yamada), was published by Tokyo-based Pia Corp.
On Sunday, his illustrations were put on permanent display at the Saga Ninja Village Hizenyumekaidou theme park in Ureshino, Saga Prefecture, which showcases a mock Edo-period townscape. Ureshino is a neighboring city of Kashima, Yamada’s hometown.
“I’m glad [my works] have won the hearts of people around the country,” Yamada said. “I’ll keep on drawing episodes of everyday life that make you laugh.”
Yamada’s illustrations are on display at Standard Bookstore Shinsaibashi in Osaka until Oct. 29. A cafe featuring his works runs from Oct. 6 to 22 at Aeon Lake Town shopping mall in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture. Please visit www.instagram.com/y_haiku/ for more information.
He began uploading his works on Instagram in December last year, and it wasn’t long before he saw a spike in the number of his followers on the platform. Many of his followers, from company employees to homemakers, empathized with and were amused by the words accompanying the illustrations, such as “A new recruit is trying to give his business card to someone in his own company” or “I realize I’m more fascinated by this children’s TV show than my children are.”
Yamada’s illustrations became popular enough for him to begin drawing regularly for the Instagram account of Mynavi Corp., a major operator of job hunting and recruiting websites, for the enjoyment of job-seeking students. In September, a compilation of his illustrations, “Yamada Zenjido de gozaru” (I’m Zenjido Yamada), was published by Tokyo-based Pia Corp.
On Sunday, his illustrations were put on permanent display at the Saga Ninja Village Hizenyumekaidou theme park in Ureshino, Saga Prefecture, which showcases a mock Edo-period townscape. Ureshino is a neighboring city of Kashima, Yamada’s hometown.
“I’m glad [my works] have won the hearts of people around the country,” Yamada said. “I’ll keep on drawing episodes of everyday life that make you laugh.”
Yamada’s illustrations are on display at Standard Bookstore Shinsaibashi in Osaka until Oct. 29. A cafe featuring his works runs from Oct. 6 to 22 at Aeon Lake Town shopping mall in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture. Please visit www.instagram.com/y_haiku/ for more information.
On Sunday, his illustrations were put on permanent display at the Saga Ninja Village Hizenyumekaidou theme park in Ureshino, Saga Prefecture, which showcases a mock Edo-period townscape. Ureshino is a neighboring city of Kashima, Yamada’s hometown.
“I’m glad [my works] have won the hearts of people around the country,” Yamada said. “I’ll keep on drawing episodes of everyday life that make you laugh.”
Yamada’s illustrations are on display at Standard Bookstore Shinsaibashi in Osaka until Oct. 29. A cafe featuring his works runs from Oct. 6 to 22 at Aeon Lake Town shopping mall in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture. Please visit www.instagram.com/y_haiku/ for more information.
- October 7, 2017
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