"Shogun — The Strike" — A Fine Art Collaboration with Takuma Tanaka
"Shogun — The Strike" — A Fine Art Collaboration with Takuma Tanaka
The sword is drawn. The strike has landed. There is nothing left to decide.
A general stands in full armor, blade raised, surrounded by the chaos of combat. Splashes of color tear across the canvas like steel cutting through air — the raw, explosive energy of a battle fought and won. This is not a warrior preparing. This is a warrior in the act of total commitment, giving everything he has to a single, irreversible moment.
And yet — look at the blue. Amid the fury of the fight, it holds. Cool, steady, unshaken. The battle rages around him, but inside the Shogun, there is silence. This is the warrior's edge: the ability to remain completely calm in the eye of the storm, to strike with absolute force while the mind stays still as deep water.
Blue and pink drive the composition — heat and cold, fury and focus, the clash of bodies and the quiet of a disciplined mind. Together they tell the truth about what battle really demands: not just strength, but the mastery of oneself under fire.
Shogun — The Strike is printed on Awa Washi — handmade Japanese paper rooted in a tradition stretching back to 806 AD, designated a Traditional Craft of Japan in 1976. Produced in Tokushima Prefecture using centuries-old techniques, it carries a texture and warmth no mass-produced paper can replicate. Thin yet tear-resistant, soft yet permanent — a surface as battle-hardened as the warrior it carries.
Hang it where you go to war.
◆Details
A3 size.
Printed on authentic Awa Washi (traditional Japanese paper)
Inspired by the Ukiyo-e style of Japanese fine art
Museum-quality print (frame not included)
Designed and printed in Kyoto, Japan
◆What is Awa Washi?
Awa Washi is Japanese paper produced in Yoshino City, Tokushima Prefecture; Naka Town, Naka District; and Ikeda Town, Miyoshi City. It is made using traditional Japanese paper-making techniques such as “flow-making” and “pool-making.”Awa Washi is characterized by the unique texture and natural feel of hand-made paper, along with its durable quality—thin yet strong and resistant to tearing, even when wet.
◆History of Awa Washi
The exact origins of Awa Washi are unclear, but it is thought to have begun around 806–810 AD. Records indicate that the Awa Inbe clan cultivated hemp and kozo (paper mulberry) and produced paper, suggesting that washi production had already begun by the Nara period.In modern times, Awa washi gradually declined alongside Westernization. However, one paper-making company persevered in preserving the tradition, and in 1976, Awa washi was designated a Traditional Craft.
◆Design
This artwork was designed in my Kyoto studio. Some of the images were designed using digital design tools, while others were designed using artificial intelligence (AI) with my own instructions and references to traditional artworks.
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Let customers speak for us
Stayed at a bad job way too long.
Told myself it was loyalty.
Turns out there's a word for what I was actually doing — and loyalty isn't it.
Chugi is the chapter. The short version is: real loyalty includes the question ""does this still deserve what I'm giving it?""
I had completely stopped asking that.
Didn't make me feel great about the past three years, not gonna lie.
But it reframed how I think about commitment going forward, which
I think is the point.
Good book. Challenging in the right ways.
All members of the SHOGUN production staff should read this.
The stories of Japanese samurai are fascinating.
The best choice not only to understand the spirit of Bushido, but also to embody it.
