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This illustration is included in Chapter 143.
Ichigo Kurosaki continues his Bankai Training to save Rukia Kuchiki. And then there's Renji Abarai, who achieves Bankai first and then fights Byakuya Kuchiki. When asked why they stand up against powerful opponents in different places, they both reply that it is because they have sworn a vow.
A vow to whom? Nobody in particular.
They each made a vow to their own soul.
Although separated, Ichigo and Renji shout the same words. In this sequence, Ichigo stands in front of a black background while Renji stands in front of a plain white background, indicating that they in different spaces.
The blade of Byakuya's Senbonzakura, which has pierced Renji's right arm, shatters in the lower right panel. He (they) stand(s) up, using their left hand to shatter the blade, which is a symbol of unrivaled power.
Ichigo and Renji each face their opponents alone, but their souls seem to burn together, which explains why the chapter's title, "Blazing Souls," is written in the plural form.
In addition, backgrounds difficult to produce using a letterpress, such as those created with screentone, were separated and offset printed before the work was printed on a letterpress flatbed. This process allows for the reproduction of powerful images and delicate details at the same time.
Signature on the print (handwritten)
Due to the nature of the cotton paper, small black spots may be seen in the work. In addition, subtle color irregularities and small ink droplets may be present as a result of the letterpress printing process. Please be aware of this when applying.
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.
Revisiting manga's roots with flatbed letterpress printing
Since its inception, the black and white storytelling medium known as manga has been produced by the letterpress, the most primitive method of printing. Even today, Shonen Jump and other manga magazines are created using the letterpress rotary printing method commonly known as katsurin.
However, flatbed letterpress machines, which were once frequently used for proof printing and small print jobs, are rarely in use today. These machines, especially those capable of printing in A2 size, are in very limited operation in Japan and around the world.
Is it possible to take manga, which has always been a medium optimized for letterpress, and turn it into artworks using the highest possible quality of letterpress?
This was the question we wanted to answer.
Pressing using a Heidelberg printing press manufactured in the 1960s
With the help of Kyodo Printing, a company which prints Shonen Jump, we found a working letterpress in Nagano Prefecture, as well as skilled staff who are capable of operating it. Using this German-made Heidelberg printing press from the 1960s, we use high pressure method to print on 100% cotton Gmund Cotton Max White art paper. This method produces a completely unique page surface with a physical effect that is impossible to achieve using offset printing, lithography, or silkscreen printing. Touching the paper makes palpable how the art is embossed into the page.
These collections were made with the purpose of passing down to future generations the increasingly rare machinery and techniques used to create the manga in addition to the artworks themselves.
The original box includes a blockchain-linked sales certificate
All works are registered to Startrail PORT, NFT management service. Works include a blockchain-linked sales certificate with an affixed NFC tag sticker (letterpress printed by Kazui Press). You can view the information recorded on the NFT by scanning the NFC tag sticker with a smartphone. We will send you your product in an original Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage box created by Misuzudo.
Work Size A2 (420 mm x 594 mm)
Paper Used Gmund Cotton Max White
Printing Method Letterpress printing
Package Contents
Main product
Blockchain-linked sales certificate (letterpress printed by Kazui Press, linked with NFC tag sticker)
Matte paper
Special paper to absorb harmful substances
Instruction manual
Storage case
