KADOKAWA Rem (Re-run) Re:ZERO Starting Life In Another World Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print (Import)

About Rem (Re-run) Re:ZERO Starting Life in Another World Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print (Import)

Please note: This woodblock print does not include a frame.

Re:ZERO x Ukiyo-E: Art From Another World

From the popular anime Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, here comes Rem’s Ukiyo-E Woodblock Prints: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 100 Views of Mt. Fuji and a Girl From Another World, Rem.

A Collaboration Between Animators and Woodblock Print Masters

Rem was drawn by Kyuta Sakai, the animator in charge of the character design for the Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- anime.

The woodblock was carved by two craftswomen who belong to the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Intangible Cultural Properties Selection and Conservation Technology Association: the engraver, Kayoko Suga, and the printer, Kyoko Hirai. 100 Views of Mt. Fuji and a Girl From Another World print was born from the collaboration between animators and woodblock print masters, who are few in number even in Japan. The work allows this modern animation to boldly travel through time to the world of ukiyo-e prints that were popular four hundred years ago. Make sure to check it out.

This time, it’s Rem who got lost in Japan!

Rem is a dweller of the Re:ZERO world, but what if she got lost and ended up in Japan? The 100 Views of Mt. Fuji and a Girl From Another World prints are full of playful details.

The pattern of her kimono is, believe it or not, the Morningstar! It is Rem’s beloved weapon, a spiked ball on a metal chain that she swings gracefully to bring her enemies down.

That very chain is reproduced on her obi sash, and a pink hair ornament that suits her blue hair beautifully is tied on her obi string. What’s more, Ram, Subaru, and Emilia are actually in the picture too! Where are they hiding? Find them by looking closely at the actual print!

Rem was carved onto thirteen woodblocks that were then inked and applied on paper sixty-three times.

100 Views of Mt. Fuji and a Girl From Another World, Rem prints are made by applying the inked woodblocks on paper sixty-three times to obtain just one ukiyo-e print. Moreover, the entire process is done by hand. Let us explain how the 100 Views of Mt. Fuji and a Girl From Another World, Rem prints are created at the hands of skilled craftspeople who continue to pass on four-hundred-year-old techniques. First, the artist draws a picture, which is passed to the engraver. The engraver carves as many woodblocks as there are colors in the original picture. In this case, thirteen woodblocks were made. These woodblocks were carved by one of the very few women engravers in Japan, Kayoko Suga. Her feminine taste shines through in the soft, detailed lines of Rem’s woodblocks.

The blocks are made with yamazakura cherry wood. Nowadays, yamazakura wood is rare, but its hardness, its fine and regular grain, and the fact it does not expand or shrink easily make it an irreplaceable material for prints that need multiple woodblocks. The 100 Views of Mt. Fuji and a Girl From Another World, Rem prints are one such example.

Once the woodblocks are complete, they are passed to the printer, who inks and prints them over the course of several days.

The bright blue and softness of Rem’s hair, and her porcelain white skin…

In order to express Rem’s personality and her adorableness, the printer uses different woodblocks for different colors and prints them on top of each other over and over again.

This time she uses no less than thirteen woodblocks and applies them on the paper sixty-three times.

The female printer, Kyoko Hirai, breathes life and soul into Rem. She is one of few female printers who belong to the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Intangible Cultural Properties Selection and Conservation Technology Association.

We would not settle for standard Japanese paper either. We used Echizen Washi’s most luxurious paper, Echizen kizuki-hosho paper. It is durable, and the way it makes bright colors and soft texture pop cannot be achieved with other types of Japanese paper.

Engraver: Kayoko Suga
She was born in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward in 1976. After graduating high school, she was looking for a job that needed a minute, detailed process, so she visited the Traditional Crafts Fair in Arakawa Ward. She met the ukiyo-e engraver, Yusuke Sekioka who would later become her mentor. She immediately asked him to take her as his apprentice and pushed through his indecisiveness. After a five-year training, she worked for him for two years before setting up her own business and became the youngest professional engraver and one of few women in the field. She conducted demonstrations at “Oedo HappyakuYacho (The Great Metropolis of Edo)” Exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in 2003, at the “Meisho Edo Hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo)”Completion Commemorative Exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi in 2005, and at the Hokusai Manga Exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in 2008. Edo-Tokyo Museum Member of the Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print Engraving Technique Preservation Association Member of the Tokyo Traditional Woodblock Print Craft Cooperative.

Printer: Kyoko Hirai
She graduated in 1996 from Kyoto Seika University’s Faculty of Art, majoring in Printmaking. From 1998, she apprenticed under the printer, Keizo Sato. She has conducted demonstrations at a variety of international events and teaches workshops. Among her many achievements, she exhibited at The Great Masters of Tradition Who Support Japanese Culture exhibition held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2010 and 2012. In the same year, she became a member of the Handing Culture Down to the Next Generation Project in Fukuchiyama High School. In 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2018 she introduced Japanese culture in Thailand, Laos, America, and Australia through a project sponsored by The Japan Foundation. She is on the board of the Kyoto chapter of the Society for the Conservation of Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print Crafts, one of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Intangible Cultural Properties Selection and Conservation Technology groups.

About the Product

• The prints are handcrafted one by one, so there may be differences between them. Thank you for your understanding.
• Due to the printing process, some colors may be uneven or slightly off, and the paper may look slightly worn. These are characteristics of woodblock printing, so enjoy them as a unique feature. 
• The end product may be different from the product picture. Thank you for your understanding.
• Please keep the print away from direct sunlight. We recommend keeping it in a well-ventilated place.
• There will not be a difference in the final product’s quality as the lifespan of the woodblocks is about four hundred prints.

©TN,K,Re:ZERO2P