Kouga Hirano and Shobunsha

Ginza Graphic Gallery

Finished

Artists

Kouga Hirano

For roughly three decades between 1964 and 1992, Kouga Hirano was in sole charge of the covers on books published by Shobunsha. Indeed, it is rare for a single designer to handle all of a publisher’s output. Shobunsha was the standard-bearer of the counterculture days, and Hirano’s unique style blew a breath of fresh air through the publishing establishment. Here, some 600 of the more than 7,000 titles Hirano produced over nearly half a century are on display, focusing mainly on his work for Shobunsha. There will also be around 80 works printed on Japanese paper on display, including distinctive decorative hand-written letters, works freshly returned from an incredibly popular exhibition in Taiwan this spring, and many of his theater and concert posters and flyers that have been retouched by Hirano himself, some even with added notes. Visitors are able to take the book covers in hand - just as if they were in a secondhand bookstore - to see and feel the close bond between books, publishing, cover designers, and the times.

Schedule

Jan 22 (Mon) 2018-Mar 17 (Sat) 2018