Jocelyn Bouquillard – författare

Featuring the works Japan’s most celebrated neko-e artists, this gorgeous boxed set contains a volume of more than seventy exquisite accordion-fold prints and an accompanying booklet with explanatory texts.For centuries, cats have played an essential role in Japanese culture and folklore. Long before Hello Kitty, they were fetishized and revered by every strata of Japanese society, especially by artists. This volume collects dozens of prints by the greatest masters of Japanese printmaking including Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Utamaro, and Kunichika. It beautifully reflects the complex nature of the country’s attachment to felines. Cats are depicted as playful and cuddly, menacing and predatory; they are imbued with erotic meaning; and regarded as symbols of wealth and taste. They can be seen as having human qualities, yet also take on monstrous forms. Each of these prints captures its subject’s personality with meticulous detail, vibrant colors, and intricate patterns.Included in this package is a booklet featuring an introduction to and brief texts about each of the works―making this the perfect gift for cat fanciers, Japanese culture enthusiasts and lovers of woodblock prints.

This elegant box set invites readers into the heart of Japan’s most poetic season through a curated collection of woodblock prints by the great masters of ukiyo-e.Presented in a luxurious two-volume slipcased set, this edition pairs timeless art with expert commentary in a format designed for reflection, appreciation, and beauty. The main volume showcases a selection of prints that capture Hanami (the appreciation of the fleeting wonder of spring): blossoming cherry trees, riverside picnics, moonlit gardens, and the quiet rituals of seasonal change. Highlights include Hiroshige’s Plum Garden at Kameido and Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom at Arashiyama, Hokusai’s Viewing Cherry Blossoms by the Sumida River, and Yoshitoshi’s elegant Yayoi from the series Flowers of the Twelve Months.The works unfold in a striking accordion format, allowing readers to experience them as immersive, panoramic compositions. Alongside this visual journey, a separate booklet by Japan scholar Jocelyn Bouquillard provides insightful background on each image. Her commentary illuminates the symbolism, historical context, and enduring cultural meanings of spring in Japanese life and art, every page enriching the reader’s understanding with a deeper sense of connection.Also featuring prints by artists such as Kyōsai and Kunisada,Spring in Japan is a tribute to the elegance and emotional resonance of Japanese printmaking. Perfect for lovers of Japanese aesthetics, collectors, or anyone drawn to the passing beauty of nature, this set offers a charming glimpse into a world where art, tradition, and the rhythms of the natural world are exquisitely entwined.

Roughly twenty-five years after Hokusai released his series of ukiyo-e prints depicting Japan’s most recognisable symbol, Hiroshige took on the subject as well—a common practice among the era’s printmakers. This volume features reproductions of the horizontal version of Hiroshige’s woodblock series, first published in 1852, and which reveal a mature artist working at the height of his powers. In the background of each of the views Mount Fuji is featured under varying vantage points and changing lights, towering over sites of sublime beauty, often animated by a few characters living in harmony with nature. These exquisite fold-out plates are perfect for appreciating Hiroshige’s eye for composition, his nontraditional use of line, and the subtle gradations of colour and mood. Viewers can also learn much about daily life and culture in 19th-century Japan through carefully applied detail and symbolism. In his introductory booklet, Jocelyn Bouquillard provides captions for each print, as well as an appreciation of the remarkable and painstaking process of woodblock printing. Packaged in an elegant slipcase, these volumes reflect the beautiful artistry and traditions that are embodied in the prints themselves.