Hinoki and Hinageshi

BIB (Bratislava World Picture Book Original Art Exhibition) 2016 exhibited works

"Ah, boring, boring. I wouldn't mind dying if you made me queen once."
The young girls who admire stars and are always envious of others try so hard to be beautiful that they almost get deceived by the devil. A young Hinoki, who tries to protect them, teaches them the meaning and importance of more than just superficial beauty...

The artist, who lives in Prague, Czech Republic, earnestly depicts the world of beautiful yet mysterious and somewhat sad stories in an exotic atmosphere.

[Profile]
Illustration: Iku Dekune
Born in Tokyo in 1969. Graduated from Musashino Art University, Faculty of Art and Design.
Debuted as a picture book in 1996 with “Ofuro” (Gakken).
Selected for the Bologna International Picture Book Art Exhibition and won the Grand Prix at the Bratislava World Picture Book Art Exhibition. Winner of the Japan Picture Book Award for ``Masha and the White Bird: A Russian Folktale'' (Kaiseisha). He has also won many other awards, including the Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award and the Nippon Broadcasting Award.
Since 2002, he has lived in Prague, Czech Republic.
His other picture books include ``Twelve Moons'' (Kaiseisha) and ``Maple Leaves'' (written by Mrasková, translated by Akiko Sekizawa, Rironsha), and many other works that depict folk tales from the Slavic regions of Russia and Eastern Europe. Other works include ``Penki-ya'' and ``Wani'' (both written by Kaho Nashiki, Rironsha Publishing), ``Mori no Otobukuro'' (written by Mutsuko Wataru, published by Nora Shoten), and ``Mountain Tantara Grandma'' (written by Naoko Awa, published by Shogakukan). He is also working on adapting and illustrating Grimm's fairy tales into picture books.

●Art materials used: Gouache (opaque watercolor) / Paper: Watercolor paper (made in the Czech Republic)

[Publication date] October 21, 2015