Bijutsukai and Shin Bijutsukai are craft design books published during the Meiji period (1868–1912). Both contain beautiful designs created by various Japanese painters and designers. This collection of multicolored woodblock print designs was published by Unsodo, a Kyoto-based art publishing company and the only publisher of hand-printed woodblock books in Japan.

We created a cover with a craft design from Bijutsukai, depicting a ferryboat.

The composition of the design is a bird’s-eye view from high above of a ferryboat floating on the river. Although simplified to the utmost, we can see the boatman in charge of the boat wearing a straw hat and raincoat. The light blue color of the river is struck by large white oblique lines that look like sunlight; the stripe-looking arrangement gives it a sense of modernity, even with a classical motif. The boats and flowers peeking out create a rhythm, and it looks as if the whole picture represents the time the boat spends on the river. The craft design will make you feel a refreshing breeze blowing through the air.

The inner cover is a soft yellow. The “butterfly-stopper” pen holders and bookmarks are beige, with blue and yellow bookmark tips.

It is a fascinating design created more than 100 years ago. Keep it at your side and enjoy its timeless and refreshing charm.