toco toco

Shinji Tsuchimochi, Illustrator

In this episode, we will spend the day with Shinji Tsuchimochi, an illustrator based in Tokyo. Tsuchimochi studied Japanese painting in Tama Art University, and cites ukiyo-e painter Hiroshige as one of his favourite artists. He decided to recreate one of Hiroshige's most notable works, the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, to the modern day using his own contemporary illustration style. After three years working on finding and drawing the locations, he completed his book "100 views of Tokyo". Together we will visit some of the locations Tsuchimochi used in his illustrations, which are centered around Shitamachi, the area that was once the center of Edo. We will then head towards Jimbocho, famous for its old book and record shops, to Saboru, a cafe held for more than 60 years by the same owner, which truly depicts the charm of the area. Our next stop will be Yamada Shoten, a ukiyo-e shop where Tsuchimochi enjoys spending time and looking at paintings. He will tell us more about his vision of ukiyo-e and how he expresses it in his work.