In 2024, I assisted in the research for creating the art book Anthropomorphic Japan – The Frogs. This project was part of a new offering from Philadelphia-based publisher, 50 Watts Books. Drawing on the owner’s extensive collection of retro Japanese illustrations, the book was created to showcase the best and strangest of Japanese frog illustrations.
Taken from retro and vintage periodicals, children’s books and works of fiction, The Frogs is enchanting to look through. My work revolved around confirming the sources of the work, as well as checking publication dates and other details. I did this by pouring through the archives of the National Diet Library, both online and in-person.
This project pushed me out of my comfort zone, as it involved reading older kanji which was not standardised in the same way as the modern characters I am used to. This project helped me gain insight into retro publishing, learn about many new illustrators and artists, and expand my skills. This is part of a series, with The Insects to be published in 2025.
