Next Call for Art Submissions! - Heikegani (Samurai Crabs)

Heikegami - Samurai Crabs

 

These are the rad crabs  popular with Kuniyoshi that feature the face of a samurai on their shells. Really cool little guys. They are a product of the Gempei war, a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto Clans. During the battle of Dan- no-ura Yoshitsune and his chief retainer Benkei defeat the Taira clan. These crabs are believed to be the reincarnated spirits of the defeated Heike warriors, who,  following their leader Tomomori, jumped into the ocean to their deaths in shame from their defeat. Their fierce spirits however would not surrender and instead infused into the crabs living in the bay. Because these crab hold the spirit of their ancestors Japanese people do not eat then, so now they are quite common in that area.

• Deadline for submissions October 31st, 2013
• Submissions WILL NOT be returned so if you want to keep yours please send a HIGH QUALITY digital scan of at least 400dpi. Do not send photos. Email or dropbox to gominekobooks@yahoo.com
• Submissions sent in will be auctioned off online and the money donated to the Support The Underground Crew - a group of underground bikers, musicians and artists that spend one weekend a month biking supplies in and donating their time to help out some of the villages in Tohoku the government deemed too small to resuscitate.
• Post to: Gomineko Books/ 3-13-29 Imagawa/ Suginami-ku, Tokyo/ 167-0035 Japan
• Please send a written statement giving Gomineko the right to publish your piece in any future publication and if you send the original, written permission to include it in the online auction.
• You may send as many submissions in as you'd like but I print one per artist (per motif). There is no guarantee that your piece will be selected but please know that we definitely appreciate the time and energy spent on each piece.              .
• Questions can be emailed to Crystal at gominekobooks@yahoo.com

New from Gomineko Books! Adam Kitamoto - Myths, Gods & Legends. Pre-Order today!

Hello all!

Gomineko Books is proud to announce our newest publication....Adam Kitamoto's Myths, Gods, & Legends. This is a brilliant collection of Kitamoto's illustrations and tattoo work, highlighting his keen eye for Japanese nuances and aesthetic. This project was started 3 years ago but we hit a huge speedbump in the form of a giant shop-wrecking earthquake, so it is with great pleasure that I get to finally announce this release! The book is A4 in size, softcover with superior binding and boasts almost 160 pages of artwork and crisp photos. It will retail for USD$80 and if you pre-order your copy today we will ship it out for $1 when they come in from the printers at the end of April! You can purchase on our website homepage and our blog. Thanks to you all for your continued support! xoxo Crystal
 

 

Tanuki Submissions for the New Book!!

AkoArt

Cat Bijou

Jee Sayalero

Ayako Fujita

Clint Steele

Craig Deuce

Elize Casarjian

Omniinks Yugo

Josh Roelink

Lee Withey

Mike Nomy

TNS Naoki

Vicky Morgan

Robert Bonhomme

Sam Rulz

Scott Sketo

Vanessa Toryumon

Matthew Crim

Robert Bonehomme

New Call for Art Submissions for Next Book - BAKENEKO

Bakeneko are forked tailed cat demons, not to be trusted. There are different myths concerning when and why a cat’s tail splits into two and he becomes a bakeneko, including that it happens when he reaches a certain age (although what the age is specifically tends to vary with each telling); or that it is the vengeful spirit of an ill-treated cat returned to avenge itself on his tormentors. Some people say it splits when a domestic cat reaches 8 pounds or it if has eaten in the same house for 13 years – but in all the stories once a feline’s tail divides into two the cat becomes a bakeneko and has supernatural powers. Bakeneko have been credited with shapeshifting and it’s believed that Bakeneko can breathe life back into the newly dead so all cats are kept away from fresh corpses as a precaution. (It’s also been said that it can reanimates a corpse by jumping over it’s head). Bakeneko then use these zombie bodies to revenge themselves on people they felt have wronged them. To prevent their pets from turning into demons Japanese people would cut the tails off their cats and as a consequence, there is a huge number of bobtail or stumpy tailed cats here in Japan, both feral and domesticated. Bakeneko (all cats really) enjoy licking lamp oil – it’s convenient fat and protein for them. With the lamp right there playing with shadows and the inevitable distortion a shoji screen would add to the image of a cat on a table licking lamp oil, it’s easy to see why people began to speculate about cats as yokai. Some believe bakeneko can grow large enough to just snatch people up through open windows. They’ve been known to kill a person and assume his/her identity. In more than one story e Bakeneko kills a person in it’s household and hides the body in the floorboards (or sometimes just the bones – all gnawed clean) assumes the dead person’s appearance and place in the family appearing at meal times to gorge. Bakeneko are considered malevolent creatures and are usually depicted as quite ferocious and evil.

Deadline for submissions January 31, 2013 Submissions WILL NOT be returned so if you want to keep yours please send a HIGH QUALITY digital scan of at least 400dpi. Do not send photos. Email or dropbox to gominekobooks@yahoo.com Submissions sent in will be auctioned off online and the money donated to the Support The Underground Crew - a group of underground bikers, musicians and artists that spend one weekend a month biking supplies in and donating their time to help out some of the villages in Tohoku the government deemed too small to resuscitate. Post to: Gomineko Books/ 3-13-29 Imagawa/ Suginami-ku, Tokyo/ 167-0035 Japan Please send a written statement giving Gomineko the right to publish your piece in any future publication and if you send the original, written permission to include it in the online auction. You may send as many submissions in as you'd like but I print one per artist (per motif). There is no guarantee that your piece will be selected but please know that we definitely appreciate the time and energy spent on each piece. . Questions can be emailed to Crystal at gominekobooks@yahoo.com

Gomineko Books is starting a limited edition Kewpie fanzine!!! .....here's the deets.

- $100 to participate. I'll send you 2 good sized Kewpie dolls to illustrate however you wish. (Sorry for having to charge but these puppies aren't cheap and neither is shipping) Additional Kewpies are $35.

- One doll is returned to me for exhibition and to eventually be sold for charity (All proceed to be donated towards Japanese relief efforts). The second kewpie you keep. (I know you guys aren't gonna be too keen to part with these once they are finished so I thought this was a good solution.)

- You take at least 20 high def pics of your kewpie (s) including a couple with you in it and send those to me for the zine. Random stuff welcome, wanna throw him in your shop, your doghouse your fridge...do it. Anything resembling kiddy porn will not be considered....Kewpies are creepy enough on their own.

-Submissions do not guarantee publication. If your Kewpie is mediocre, your pics suck, or your set doesn't go with the flow of the fanzine we will hold out for a later edition or shelf it. If/when your set features in the zine you will be sent a free copy.

-Each fanzine will feature 15 artists (I am thinking 6-8 photos from each artist's set) and will be handmade by me and limited to 50 copies. The Kewpies will exhibit at the events and galleries Gomineko supports.

- Kewpie illustrations, doodles, tattoo flash, or any other Kewpie related 2D imagery is also super welcome. Go nuts.

Thats it in a nutshell. You can send the $100 via paypal to gominekobooks@yahoo.com or shoot me a message and I will invoice you. Take whatever time you need to complete your dolls.....I want to do a nice long run of these!!

xoxo Crystal

The Advance Copies of the New Book are in!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Pre-Order your copy of Japanese Mythical Creatures today

Gomineko Press is stoked to finally debut Japanese Mythical Creatures. Illustrations of Kappa, Kirin, Baku, Nue, Kitsune and Tsuchigumo from over 120 different artists world wide!! Reserve your copy today!

This book will ship the first of February 2012. Cheers!! xoxo Gomineko

Size: 8” x 11.5”

Pages: 228

Published: 2012

Price: $48

Binding:Softcover

WE MADE 300 LIMITED EDITION S/N HARDBACK EDITIONS AS GIFTS TO THE ARTISTS. THE REMAINDER ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEBSITE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.

Order here!!! http://gominekobooks.com/books.html