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This option is for mounting BLEACH / Moon Fang Unity on an Kakeijiku scroll
Please note that this option alone is not available.
The work was mounted under the direction of Tite Kubo using the same gray cloth as his previous work, Boy in Black Clothes. There is a blue line running down the center of the mount. The paulownia wood box is autographed by the artist himself. The work is presented in a navy blue and dark red box and shipped in a custom-made carrying case.
＜Notes on application＞
Kubo debuted in 1996 with Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine (published in Weekly Shonen Jump Summer Special). He published BLEACH in Weekly Shonen Jump between 2001 and 2016,. In 2018, he released a new work, Burn the Witch. Recently, in 2021, a new episode titled "BLEACH: New Breaths from Hell" was released.
Kubo won the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for BLEACH in 2005. And in 2008, he received the Comic-Con International Inkpot Award.
BLEACH is essentially a battle action story that follows the life of the protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, who has suddenly gained Shinigami powers. The story linedepicts the growth of Ichigo and his friends as they battle evil spirits called Hollows and other Shinigami adversaries. The manga was made into an animated television series in 2004. The manga series concluded in 2016. The total worldwide circulation of the 74 BLEACH mangavolumes (tankobon) exceeded 130 million copies as of December 2022. A new episode, "BLEACH: New Breaths from Hell," was published in the 36th and 37th issues of Weekly Shonen Jump in 2021 (it went on sale August 10). In December 2021, an exhibition of the original artwork was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the initial publication of BLEACH.In 2022, The anime "BLEACH :Thousand-Year Blood War" was released.
Passing down manga for the next one thousand years
Drawn in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Chôjû-giga (animal caricatures) handscrolls are thought by some scholars to represent Japan's oldest manga. They were made over 900 years ago. The scrolls were created during Japan's late Heian to Kamakura periods, which marked the birth of the samurai class and the feudal system. More than athousand years have passed since then.
We would like to pass down manga for as long as possible into the future. To achieve this, we decided to do a deep dive into the origins of manga.
The most commonly used paper dimensions in Japan are A and B sizes. The most commonly used dimensions for paper used in manga is B size. Manga are usually illustrated on B4 (257 × 364 mm) and scaled down to B5 (182 × 257 mm) for publication in magazines. While A size is an international standard, B size is actually the Japanese domestic standard. Its origins are said to lie in minoban, the size of washi paper dating from the Edo period.
For this reason, manga original drawings (genga) and ukiyo-e are almost identical in size.
Going further back in history, Japan's oldest piece of paper, stored in the Shôsôin Repository (which dates to the 8th century), was made in Mino as well. The document was a family registry form submitted for the Taihô Code issued in 702 AD. The paper was made more than 1,300 years ago, and yet, it still retains its original form today.
Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage consulted Marujyu Paper Company, based in Mino, Gifu Prefecture, to request production of handmade Japanese paper. The result was an original kind of washi paper featuring a MA logo watermark.
The unique colors produced through collotype printing
Collotype is a printing technique originating in the mid-19th century when photography was invented. Said to be the oldest method of photoengraving, the method uses pigment ink and gelatin to create prints. Rather than using dots to produce shading, gelatin "wrinkles" are used to add gradation to photographs and pictures. These days, however, collotype presses are used only for limited purposes, such as the reproduction of cultural artifacts, and companies with technicians who can operate collotype presses are hard to find anywhere in the world.
There is one company in Kyoto that carries on this printing tradition. Benrido, a collotype studio, was founded in 1905. We commissioned our prints from this studio, which has been tasked with the reproduction of national treasures and important cultural assets for over a century.
While normal offset printing uses a combination of four CMYK colors, collotype printing produces images by mixing special colors according to the work being printed, with one layer of color printed at a time. The process uses a very hard ink with an average pigment concentration of 60%. This makes it an ideal printing method for works to be preserved in long term, and proof can be seen in collotype prints dating from a century ago.
Blockchain-linked sales certificate included
All works are registered with Startrail PORT, an blockchain certificate service. You can view the information recorded on the NFT by scanning the NFC tag sticker with a smartphone.
By combining Mino washi paper, collotype printing, and blockchain-linked sales certificates, we present a unique form of art to the world through a blend of technology and tradition.
Paper Used: Original washi paper (handmade)
Printing Method: Collotype
Package Content
The artwork
Blockchain-linked sales certificate (letterpress printed by Kazui Press, linked with NFC tag sticker)
Instruction manual
Storage case (prints are placed between sheets of protective paper and stored as a scroll)
