Takahiro “Taki” Kitamura was born in Tokyo in 1973 and moved to the United States with his parents when he was two. His father taught for 18 years at the University of California, Davis (UCD), and his mother instilled Japanese culture in her children, from cuisine to folktales, to preserve their history. Kitamura got his […]
Tag: Japan
Noko: The 10-Year-Old Tattoo Prodigy and Daughter of Gakkin
Born in Japan and living in The Netherlands with her parents for the last three years, Noko, 10 years old will be 11 this December. She loves dancing, playing Roblox and making slime with her friends. We met her at the London Tattoo Convention, where she quietly drew in a sketchbook while her esteemed-tattooist-father Gakkin […]
10 Amazing Anime Movies of 2018
The early months of 2018 have already seen several landmark anime films achieve worldwide success, and that shows no signs of changing anytime soon. While it is not apparent from looking at the 2018 Oscar nominations for Best Animated Film, last year saw some truly fantastic anime films released. If anime, films from outside of […]
10 Gateway Anime Films to Enter the Medium With
With the proliferation of anime streaming services like Crunchyroll it has never been easier to get into this style. Despite the success of some anime franchises in the West, it has been difficult in the past to get access to a variety of shows and movies, no matter how popular they are in their home […]
Gakkin x Nissaco: Blackwork Tattoos
Both tattooists Gakkin and Nissaco are on our top picks of 2017. They’ve produced incredible works on skin, all in black ink, fusing both traditional and contemporary Japanese styles in their art. Their work is bold, beautiful and meticulous. Both artists are perfectionists, and seeing their line-and-dot-work up close at the London Convention really confirmed […]
Ten of the Best Films From Japan
So rich has been the history and variety of films from the Land of the Rising Sun that narrowing down a selection of the best—or even of favourites—is practically impossible. Here, then, is something a little more provisional: an eclectic anthology of ten titles which will each amaze, enthral and astonish, and which collectively will […]
Japanese-Inspired Woodblocks Imagined as Tattoos by Brindi
Maxime Gautron, better known as Brindi, is an artist based Toulouse, France. Inspired by Japanese art and tattoos, some of his most compelling pieces recall the culture’s traditional woodblock prints. Specifically, they seem to reference the ukiyo-e genre, albeit more surreal and updated for current times. But, the single panels displayed in flat color capture the essence […]
10 Movies Revealing the Cultural Significance of BDSM
With the success of “Fifty Shades of Grey” on the printed page and the big screen, BDSM (Bondage, Domination, Sadism, Masochism) has burst forth from the shadows of popular consciousness. . . . Or so it seems. In fact, dating as far back as 1967, filmmakers have had a fascination with this particular brand of […]
Hidden Hearts: Creepy Hollowed-Out Dolls by Mari Shimizu
Mari Shimizu is an artist from Amakusa in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, who creates hollowed-out ball-joint dolls. Each doll is unique in that the contents of their eviscerated torsos reveal different elements of horror and fantasy. In a statement provided to Illusion, Shimizu explains how “We hide our hearts from our families and friends in order […]
10 Amazing Anime Movies of 2017
Though many of us would rather forget about 2016, it was an exemplary year for Japanese animation. While it is still early yet, 2017 shows no signs of that changing. From the underdog story of a video game tie-in, to the latest entries in decades-long franchises, to the pet project of some of the best […]