KAMISAKI (Sunao).
Chimei ateji ehon [Picture book of place names] [With:] Bunbutsu ateji ehon [Picture book of cultural objects]; [And:] Jinmei-ateji ehon [Picture book of people].
This set is centred on the theme of ‘names’ – of people, places, things (bunbutsu, or ‘cultural objects’). Though they are not numbered, they were designed as a trio and can be enjoyed in any order. The volume on people contains portraits of 10 Western thinkers, including Hippocrates, Shakespeare and Kant. Next to each portrait is their transliterated name in Japanese script, as well as a translated quote. The volume on places takes us on a global journey, with vignettes of famous sites such as the Alps, the Sahara desert, and in keeping with Kamisaki’s fascination with clocks and time, the Greenwich meridian. In the ‘things’ volume we are shown a curious mix of objects and actions, including coffee, a hotel, lamps and a kiss. Together the books form a delightful sprinkling of famous Western people, places and things.
