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A very bright and cheerful green dragon appears to be riding between the "waves" of cherry blossom. Though vivid in colour, the dragon has all the classic characteristics: the clenched ball, and a fierce countenance.
Born in 1968 in Oita as Ogawa Ryuji, the artist became a pupil of Ozuma Kaname, and in addition to a successful exhibiting career, has produced illustrations for CD and book jackets. His brush name Ryusi, literally "Dragon-determination", is a variant of his real name, written with the same 'dragon' character — and he has become something of a dragon specialist. Note that the pronunciation is more usually represented in Hepburn romanisation as "Ryushi".
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10631 (1000-631 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$32.97 €24.59 £20.83)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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© Izumi Kazumi
A rather jolly illustration of the origin of dragons. We see three carp, one making the giant leap up a waterfall, where success means becoming a real fiery dragon just as we see at the top. The origin of this story is supposed to be a gorge on the Yellow Rive in China, but here the artist has given us somewhat fanciful topography, as the river wends its way down the ridge of a mountain.
There is plenty of variation in this puzzle: the bright azaleas and pine trees keep the background interesting, and particularly the dragon is a lively, finely drawn creature.
Izumi Kazumi is an animal artist who graduated from Osaka University fine arts department in 1984. Izumi is her family name.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10675 (1000-675 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$39.56 €29.51 £25.00)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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Three dragons, blue, green, and silver are here to bring good luck and (monetary) fortune. Gold coin already lies stacked on the shore, while the treasure boat brings even more. The image is packed with auspicious symbols: red Mount Fuji in the distance, the Shinto emblems of the torii (ceromonial arch) and two rocks joined by a shimenawa (sacred rope), the traditional pine, plum, and bamboo, and more...
No biographical details, but the artist Mori Seikaku specialises in animal and flower scroll paintings. He signs his work the traditional way, with the characters for his given (brush) name, Seikaku (lit. 'nest of the crane') and a seal of the same.
 This puzzle has smaller pieces than the standard size.
 Permanently unavailable
An Epoch puzzle: 1500 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E15071 (15-071 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 |
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The white tiger and her two cubs rest in a typically colourful Ogasawara setting — this includes the emblematic pine-plum-and-bamboo, and the setting red sun.
A hint on why the sun is red
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10641 (1000-641 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$39.56 €29.51 £25.00)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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A pair of white tigers - one placid, one baring teeth. Although these are realistic representations of the real animal, we are also expected to think of the Chinese guardian of the western celestial direction, that is, one of the four gods. In this guise, the white tiger has been revered from ancient times as a bringer of good fortune.
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle. In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10356 (1000-356 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$39.56 €29.51 £25.00)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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© Kano Yuho
An impressive white tiger among the bamboo, but also an image laden with symbolism; its original title is literally "White tiger warding off disaster." The key on the side of the box lists the items as follows:
- White tiger
- Red bamboo
- Quartz: the large crystals in the lower right corner
- Magic spell
The magic spell is written vertically in the upper part of the picture. Sometimes known as "The Disaster Preventing Dharani," where a Dharani is something longer than a mantra and shorter than a sutra, it consists of transliterated Sanskrit, so has no immediate meaning to a Japanese speaker. But you can chant it something like this:
No mo san man da moto nan
Oha ra chi koto sha sono nan
To ji to en gya gya gya ki gya ki un nun
Shifu ra shifu ra hara shifu ra hara shifu ra
Chishu sa chishu sa chishu ri chishu ri
Sowa ja sowa ja
Sen chi gya shiri ei somo ko
No biographical details for this craft-artist, Kanō Yūhō. He signs as is traditional with his given (brush) name Yūhō and a seal.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10695 (1000-695 on box)
Retail price ¥3000 (approx. US$32.97 €24.59 £20.83)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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Two white tigers with peaceful yet determined expressions. In the foreground cherry blossom, and in the background Mount Fuji by the glowing moon. Although this is a fantasy composition, the elements are traditional, as is the artist's title, referring to Fuji as reihō, the "Spiritual peak."
Shingo Saotome is a self-taught artist, who loves to paint the natural world in acrylics. He has been active both in Japan and in Florida since 1993.
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A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 72 x 49 cm (28" x 19")
Code: B51102 (51-102 on box)
Retail price ¥2800 (approx. US$30.77 €22.95 £19.44)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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The long, clear call of the cockerel has made it a traditional symbol for long life. Here Kaname surrounds the cock and hen with flowers, particularly the auspicious peony, in a classic 'bird-and-flower' (kachôzu) composition.
The painter Ozuma Kaname was born in 1939, in Niigata. He studied traditional Japanese art, and his pictures are generally based on traditional themes.
Ozuma is his family name: he signs paintings with the single character of his given name only.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10326 (1000-326 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$39.56 €29.51 £25.00)
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As the morning sun heralds a new day, the cock stands proud over his hen and chicks, surrounded by auspicious symbols — pine and bamboo, with double cherry blossom and yamabuki, the bright yellow shrub known to western gardeners as Kerria.
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits.
Recent works by this artist all bear the unexplained copyright declaration "Row. V. Ogasawara." Perhaps "Row" is a nickname, but the initial is a mystery, and on earlier puzzles "Row. E. Ogasawara" has also been seen.
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An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10454 (1000-454 on box)
Retail price ¥3600 (approx. US$39.56 €29.51 £25.00)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.19 €9.84 £8.33)
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What is this "Lucky"?
There is a great tradition in Japan of paintings combining elements considered to bring good fortune. Some of these themes are obvious enough, such as Mt. Fuji, or the characters of the twelve-year Chinese calendar cycle, but others rely on wordplay in Japanese. For example, nanten, the plant sometimes known as "Heavenly bamboo", sounds the same as Chinese characters nan meaning "troubles", and ten meaning "to (over)turn", so it has gained an association with overcoming difficulties. This is rather as if in English-speaking countries we painted four people playing the flute, and said it meant "four-tune".
The philosophical underpinnings of all this are rather diffuse. There does not seem to be any direct connection to Buddhism, but ancient Chinese mythology, and miscellaneous folk beliefs have all been brought into play. Mark Schumacher's "Buddhist Corner" pages are a wonderful source of information.
All of the puzzles on this page relate to the successive years of the Chinese calendar animal cycle. For more pictures in this auspicious genre, try the following other pages...
- Gods - features sets of four and seven
- Traditional themes - Red Fuji, and lucky flowers, fish, animals and birds
- Tigers - the auspicious white tiger, and the ferocious yellow one
- Dragons - dragons alone and facing their arch-rival the tiger
- Kaname - painter of traditional lucky themes, particularly various animals
The Imaginatorium's resident Blinkered Empiricist has issued a disclaimer: These are attractive puzzles, but we make no claim that they will have any supernatural effect whatsoever!
Deleted puzzles
For reference: you can view all the puzzles from this page that have gone out of print in the Attic.
