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At Akiba Square in Akihabara, Tokyo, works by illustrators and manga artists were on display from April 29 to May 6 at Eshi 100 Exhibit. Eshi used to be used for ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period. In recent years, it has become used for illustrators active in manga, anime, games, light novels, and other areas of Japanese pop culture. This exhibit showcased specially made works by 100 popular frontrunner eshi. Regardless of it being during a weekday, the event was packed with attendees.
The theme for this fourth installment of the exhibit was “kawaii.”
The word “kawaii” has broken away from just being a Japanese word to now being a common worldwide term for which new values and representations continue to be created. Among the works on display at the exhibit, attracting eyes aside from works with Japanese inspired motifs of kimonos and school uniforms were works that incorporated sweets like cakes, candies, and macarons. We’d like to introduce several of the especially popular eshi from the exhibit.
In addition to the works on display, several artists each day also held signing events and there was an area where the exhibit’s top eshi were drawing and signing autographs, each of which were popular with attendees. There were also many goods prepared featuring the illustrations on display including big B1-size tapestries, folding fans, clear files, commemorative hand towels, and more.
There was also an area at which reproductions and acrylic art plates of the works on display could be ordered, and this picked up attention as well. These 100 eshi drew not cute or cool, but Japanese kawaii that dispatches to the world the hot passion and momentum of Japanese pop culture.
[Outline]
Name: Eshi 100 Exhibit 4
Sponsor: The Sankei Shimbun
Support: Japan Tourism Agency
Cooperation: Akihabara UDX Akiba Square
Duration: 4/29 (Tues, holiday) to 5/06/2014 (Tues, closed)
Location: Akiba Square
Akihabara UDX 2F Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 4-14-1
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This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article written by Megumi Higashiashidani.
