Featured artists on this page:
Yoshida Keiji -
Ikehara Shôji
The "real" Japan is not to be found in the concrete ugliness of modern Tokyo, nor the somewhat stiffly preserved history of Kyoto, but it is still there, beyond the end of the railway line...
(Strictly speaking, some of this nostalgia is urban rather than rural, but the feeling is the same, so anyway...)
More puzzles on the Kuroiwa feature page
Yoshida Keiji
Born in 1930, in Gifu Prefecture, Yoshida Keiji graduated in 1952 from what is now the Tokyo University of the Arts, and trained as an architect. He was a joint founder of Rengousekkeisha Ichigaya Architects in Tokyo, and in addition has held academic appointments and written widely, particularly on wooden building construction and aspects of townscape. He is active in the movement to preserve the traditional Japanese townscape, which features in his many "travel sketches," together with views from wider travel around the world.
Yoshida is his family name.
A faithful representation of the classic view at Tsumago. As the inscription on the noren tells us, this is station 43 on the old Nakasendo road where it begins to climb over the Japan Alps on the long journey from Kyoto to Tokyo.
The noren is the short curtain hung outside the building on the right (meaning "We're open!") –this
is the famous Matsushiroya inn, one of the hostelries catering to weary travellers on what must have been an arduous journey.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.
 In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E15044 (15-044 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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Warehouses cluster by the waterway in this beautifully preserved area of Kurashiki. These were run by the Tonya, the forerunner of Japan's famously beaurocratic distribution system. The architect's eye faithfully depicts details of the buildings, while the artist's produces a fine composition.
This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.
 In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E15043 (15-043 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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An exceptionally picturesque fishing village on the Japan sea coast, Ine has houses of an unusual construction, with a boathouse built directly into the seaward side, which the artist has portrayed in loving detail.
This puzzle is cut to make pieces harder to find.
 In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E11303 (11-303 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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© Yoshida Keiji
A springtime view of Shirakawa, the well-preserved village in the northern Alps, where the houses were built for extended families of up to forty people. Watercourses weave among the houses to supply the paddy fields.
This puzzle is cut to make pieces harder to find.
 In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E11304 (11-304 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$28.30 €18.87 £14.78)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.32 €7.55 £5.91)
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Ikehara Shôji
Born in Kagawa Prefecture (Shikoku) in 1939, Ikehara is an artist specialising in illustration for children's story book, but whose work has also appeared in TV manga versions of traditional tales, and on postage stamps. His style is simple, but effective.
He signs his pictures with a hand-drawn "seal", which is hard to decipher, but looks like the second character of his given name.
Deleted puzzles
For reference: you can view all the puzzles from this page that have gone out of print in the Attic.