Book collection: Japanese artists
As the years rolled by and I moved into progressively larger home offices, my goal was to create a space that inspires me every time I walk into it. Few things make me happier than walking into an anime/book/hobby store in Japan, so that gave me a level to shoot for. It’s coming along nicely.
These days, whenever I post a photo of my home office on social media, I always get a comment or two about what’s on the shelves. This section of ArtValt will be periodically used to respond.
Here’s the wall we’ll start with…
And here’s the shelf we’ll look at.
This shelf is devoted to amazing Japanese artists whose work reached out and grabbed me from print media, model boxes, and TV screens. Below is information about each book on this shelf (and others that fit the category) to help anyone who may be filling a shelf of their own. ‘Cause you can’t hit a target if you don’t know it’s there.
Most of these are now out of print, but if they’re currently available I’ve added an Amazon.co.jp link. Japanese title text is provided for hunting purposes. Good luck!
BTW, those of you who know me personally may wonder why there are no Leiji Matsumoto books in this collection. The simple answer is that he has his own shelf, to be examined in a future article.
Ippei Kuri Works
九里一平作品集
205 pages, color and b&w
Kyuryudo Co., 2012
Compendium of paintings and illustrations spanning Tatsunoko anime from 1965-1984 including Mach GoGoGo, Gatchaman, Casshan, Tekkaman, and many others including original and manga works
Kazuo Komatsubara, Animator the Great
小松原一男アニメーション画集
hardcover, 160 pages, color and b&w
Tokyu Agency Publishing, 2002
Compendium of production art and illustrations from 70s and early 80s anime including Devil Man, Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express, Nausicaa, and others
Best Coupling Collection: the World of Hayao Miyazaki and Yasuo Otsuka
ベストカップリングコレクション宮崎駿・大塚康生の世界
hardcover, 320 pages, color and b&w
Office Action, 1982
A compendium of their anime works before the founding of Studio Ghibli
Yoshinori Kanada Special
金田伊功 スペシャル
111 pages, color and b&w
Tokuma Shoten, 1982
Art from several anime productions and illustrations from various projects
To You, the World of Yuki Hijiri
超人ロック ★ 聖悠紀の世界
Hardcover, 176 pages, color and b&w
Shonen Ehosha, 1983
Compendium of illustrations, manga and photos, mainly from Locke the Superman manga
Toyoo Ashida Illustrations
芦田豊雄 イラストレーションズ
106 pages, color and b&w
Minori Shobo, 1985
Illustrations from Vifam, Galatt and other anime productions
Akira Toriyama, The World
鳥山明 THE WORLD
100 pages, color
Shueisha, 1990
Compendium of illustrations from Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, and others
Mecaman Art Works, The World of Mitsuki Nakamura
メカマン・アートワークス 中村光毅の世界
112 pages, color and b&w
Mediaworks, 2001
Paintings and mecha design from Gundam, Crusher Joe, 60s Tatsunoko productions, and more
Shin Ueda Art Collection, Character Mechanic Sunrise Edition
上田信画集 キャラクターメカニック・サンライズ編
144 pages, color and b&w
Dainippon Kaiga, 2016
Box art and package art for 1980s Sunrise mecha products including Gundam and Votoms (order here)
Kenichi Sonoda Art Works 1983-1997
園田健一 ARTWORKS 1983‐1997
144 pages, color and b&w
Mediaworks, 1999
Collection of character art from Bubblegum Crisis, Gal Force, Riding Bean and others
Hokuto no Ken Illustration ULTIMATE
Hardcover, 174 pages, color
Shogakukan, 2008
Deluxe, large-format collection of color paintings and illustrations from the Fist of the North Star manga, includes 32-page bonus magazine (manga retrospective)
Haruhiko Mikimoto Illustrations
美樹本晴彦 イラストレーションズ
96 pages, color and b&w
Movic, 1992
English edition; paintings and illustrations from Macross, Orguss, Gunbuster, Gundam, and others
Intron Depot 1 by Masamune Shirow
147 pages, color and b&w
Seishinsha, 1992
Paintings and illustrations with English text from Appleseed, Black Magic, Ghost in the Shell, Dominion, and others (order here)
Toshihiro Kawamoto Artworks The Illusives 1985-2005
296 pages, color and b&w
Softbank Creative, 2006
Enormous 2-volume set with character art from several Gundam series, The Cockpit, Golden Boy, Cowboy Bebop and more
Kimitoshi Yamana Mecha Picture Book
山根公利 メカ図鑑
208 pages, color and b&w
MdN Corporation, 2008
Mecha design from Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Infinite Ryvius, several Gundam series, and others
Prismtone, Range Murata Anime Works 1998-2006
村田蓮爾アニメワークス
344 pages, color and b&w
Wani Magazine Co., 2010
Compendium of character design from Blue Sub No. 6, Last Exile, and others
Seraphic Feather Illustrations, Hiroyuki Utatane
セラフィック・フェザー イラストレーションズ
Separate color and b&w volumes, total 159 pages
Kodansha, 1998
Illustrations from the Seraphic Feather manga
Hydrogen, Kenji Tsuruta
水素 鶴田謙二
254 pages, color and b&w
Kodansha, 1997
Hardcover compendium of manga art across several titles including Spirit of Wonder
Super Mecha Illustration by Kazuaki Koizumi
超機械絵図―スーパーメカイラストレーション
125 pages, color and b&w
Graphic Ltd., 2000
Extensive paintings (with English text) of real-world and anime mecha including Gundam, Leiji Matsumoto concepts, and others
Katsura Masakazu Illustrations 4C
桂正和 イラスト集 4C
236 pages, color and b&w
Shueisha, 1998
3-volume hardcover compendium of art from manga titles Video Girl Ai, I’’s, Wingman, Shadow Lady, and others
Noriyoshi Ohrai, Green Universe
生頼範義 緑色の宇宙
162 pages, color and b&w
Genkosha, 2014
Collection of paintings and illustrations from movies, books, magazines etc. Includes Star Wars, Godzilla, and more.
The Complete Works of Yoshiyuki Tomino, 1964-1999
富野由悠季 全仕事
438 pages, mostly b&w
Kinejun Mook Special, 1999
An encyclopedia of all of Tomino’s anime works up to its publishing date (order here)
Steel Man, Naochika Morishita Artworks
鋼人―森下直親画集
129 pages, color and b&w
Futabasha, 2007
Box art and package art for 2000s Sunrise mecha products including Gundam and Votoms
Yuji Kaida Gundam Artworks
開田裕治画集ガンダム編
127 pages, color
Dai Nippon Painting, 2015
Model kit box art from multiple Gundam series (order here)
Edge of Gundam, Hirotoshi Sano Gundam Art Collection
佐野浩敏ガンダム画集
136 pages, color and b&w
Hobby Japan, 2001
Paintings and illustrations from multiple Gundam series
Kenichi Ishibashi Illust Collection 1: Metal Heart
石橋謙一イラスト集〈1〉メタルハート
79 pages, color
Bandai, 1988
Color paintings from 1980s Sunrise anime model kit box art, Gundam and others
Norio Shioyama Art Collection
塩山紀生画集
96 pages, color and b&w
Movic, 1996
Paintings and illustrations for Votoms, Samurai Troopers, Galient and others
Permanent Collection: Masterpieces of Norio Shioyama Artwork
永久保存版 塩山紀生アートワーク傑作選
111 pages, color and b&w
Village Center Publications, 2002
Expanded collection of paintings and illustrations for Votoms and others
Tomonori Kogawa Sunrise Animation Artworks
湖川友謙 サンライズ作品画集
Hardcover, 143 pages
Ichijinsha, 2017
Extensive collection of paintings and illustrations from Ideon, Xabungle, and Dunbine
Tomonori Kogawa Illustration Collections, With a Friend
湖川友謙 イラスト集 友ありて
32 pages each, color
Self-published, 2017
Doujinshi-format collections of color illustrations of anime characters across Kogawa’s career including Sunrise works, Leiji Matsumoto works, and others; published to benefit charitable causes
Cosmos, Katsumi Itabashi’s Works
板橋克己画集
210 pages, color and b&w
MEF, 2006
Huge compendium of original SF mecha design; combined reprint of previously-published 2-volume set
Katsumi Itabashi’s Mechanical World, Meccanista
Self-published magazines for art exhibitions, 2009 and 2011
Mecha designer for Space Battleship Yamato, several Leiji Matsumoto anime productions and various manga (visit his website here)
Shoji Kawamori Macross Design Works
河森正治マクロスデザインワークス
159 pages, color and b&w
Movic, 2001
Mecha design from multiple Macross anime and games
Shoji Kawamori Design Works
河森正治デザインワークス
208 pages, b&w with minimal color
MdN Corporation, 2006
Huge compendium of mecha design from several Macross series, Cyber Formula, Armored Core, Patlabor, Gundam 0083 and others
Tsukasa Hojo Special Illustrations
北条司 スペシャル・イラストレーションズ
108 pages, color and b&w
Shueisha, 1991
Illustrations, paintings and manga art for Cat’s Eye, City Hunter, and others
Tsukasa Hojo 20th Anniversary Illustrations
北条司漫画家20周年記念イラストレーションズ
Hardcover, 108 pages, color
Shueisha, 2000
Paintings and manga art for Cat’s Eye, City Hunter, and others
Yutaka Izubuchi Mechanical Design Works 1
出渕裕メカニカルデザインワークス (1)
103 pages, b&w
Movic, 2000
Collection of mecha designs from Gundam, Votoms, Xabungle, Gasaraki and others (no second volume was published)
Yutaka Izubuchi 30th Anniversary Art Collection IIIX
出渕裕画業30周年記念画集 IIIX
232 pages, color and b&w
Tokuma Shoten, 2008
2-volume hardcover set (with bonus DVD) covering numerous anime, tokusatsu, illustration and manga projects
Katsuhiro Otomo Artwork KABA
大友克洋アートワーク KABA
Hardcover, 178 pages, color and b&w
Kodansha, 1989
Compendium of manga and illustration projects up to publishing date, English text
Genga: Katsuhiro Otomo Original Pictures
大友克洋GENGA展
256 pages, color and b&w
Pie International, 2012
Massive, large-format collection that accompanied a 2012 art exhibition in Tokyo; includes extensive works from Akira
Yoshiyuki Takani Anime Illustration Collection
高荷義之 アニメ・イラスト集
106 pages, color and b&w
Tokuma Shoten, 1983
Compendium of paintings and illustrations for Macross, Dunbine, Gundam, Xabungle, and others
Wonder Art Takani Style
ワンダーアート タカニスタイル
144 pages, color and b&w
Oakla Publishing, 2002
Extensive collection of paintings and illustrations for anime mecha, games, box art, magazines, book covers, historical subjects and more
Yoshiyuki Takani: The Transcendent Technique of Steel
高荷義之: 鋼の超絶技巧画報
159 pages, color and b&w
Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2014
Career retrospective with illustrations and paintings including anime model kit box art
The World of Shigeru Komatsuzaki
小松崎茂の世界
Color and b&w
Gakken Graphic Books, Vol. 7 (122 pages, 1995) and 13 (146 pages, 1997)
Collection of illustrations and paintings from his entire career; magazines, box art, etc.
Pandora’s Box – Shigeru Komatsuzaki Phantom Emblem Matsumoto Collection
パンドラの匣―小松崎茂 幻の松本徽章コレクション
hardcover, 143 pages, color and b&w
Human Culture Company, 1999
Collection of rare historical and scientific paintings and illustrations from various books and magazines
Shigeru Komatsuzaki, Bandai Box Art Collection
小松崎茂 バンダイボックスアートコレクション
120 pages, color and b&w
Toysworks, 2008
Extensive compendium of model kit box art paintings from the late 60s through the 70s, including many anime and tokusatsu subjects
Hidetaka Tenjin Art Works of Macross: VALKYRIES
バルキリーズ 天神英貴マクロス画集
First volume: 136 pages, color
Kobunsha, 2005
Second Sortie: 111 pages, color
Kobunsha, 2011
Collections of box art, package art, and painted works for Macross mecha across multiple series
Third Sortie was published in 2016 (order here)
The Art of Hidetaka Tenjin
天神英貴 WORKS
103 pages, color
Ascii Mediaworks, 2010
Box art, game art, package art and more for Gundam, Macross, Votoms, Patlabor and others
Hidetaka Tenjin 20th Anniversary Art Collection
天神英貴20周年記念画集
199 pages, color
Hobby Japan, 2018
Greatly expanded version of 2010 book with many added subjects
Naoyuki Katoh SF Illustrations [Art Book]
加藤直之画集
Hardcover, 98 pages, color and b&w
Asahi Sonorama, 1981
Collection of fantasy and SF paintings with English-language foreword (two more volumes released in 1983 and 1987)
SF Painter Naoyuki Katoh – Beauty, Mecha, Powered Suits
SF画家加藤直之―美女・メカ・パワードスーツ
198 pages, color
Laputa, 2006
Collection of SF paintings with documentation of research and preparation
Armored Angel Gabriel
機甲天使ガブリエル
208 pages, color and b&w
Laputa, 2008
Original SF mecha design collaborations between Naoyuki Katoh and Kazutaka Miyatake
Kazutaka Miyatake Macross & Orguss Design Works
宮武一貴 マクロス&オーガスデザインワークス
113 pages, b&w
Movic, 2005
Extensive collection of mecha design from Orguss and multiple Macross series
Kazutaka Miyatake Design Works
宮武一貴デザイン集
127 pages, color and b&w
Gentosha Comics, 2007
Paintings and design for anime and film; Starship Troopers, Sayonara Jupiter and others
Kazutaka Miyatake, Mega Designer Created Mega Structure
宮武一貴画集
113 pages, color and b&w
Hobby Japan, 2017
Comprehensive career retrospective, paintings and mecha design spanning 1972-2016 (order here)
Maschinen Krieger in Action: Bande Dessinee
マシーネン・クリーガー・イン・アクション・バンドデシネ
Hardcover, 110 pages, color
Dainippon Kaiga, 2005
Painted picture stories of SF3D mecha in action by Kow Yokoyama
Kow Yokoyama Ma.K. sketchbook Vol. 1
横山宏 Ma.K.スケッチブック
High page count, mostly b&w
Dainippon Kaiga, 2006
Huge collection of sketches and illustrations, original mecha and characters
SF3D Chronicles
SF3D クロニクルズ
468 pages, color
Hobby Japan, 2010
2-volume set of enlarged reprints from Hobby Japan, all SF3D articles published from 1982-1985
Maschinen Krieger Graphix
マシーネンクリーガー グラフィックス
Complete reprints of Maschinen Krieger articles from Model Graphix magazine, 1999 and forward
Volume 1: 253 pages, color and b&w – Dainippon Kaiga, 2011 (order here)
Volume 2: 252 pages, color and b&w – Dainippon Kaiga, 2011 (order here)
Volume 3 (not shown): 243 pages, color and b&w – Dainippon Kaiga, 2012 (order here)
Yasuhiko Yoshikazu Artworks
安彦良和画集
127 pages, color and b&w
Kodansha, 1981
Paintings and illustrations from books and anime productions, including early manga
Yasuhiko Yoshikazu Illustrations, Roman Album Special
安彦良和 イラストレーションズ
large page count, color
Tokuma Shoten, 1985
Compendium of paintings, illustrations, and manga; Arion, Giant Gorg, Crusher Joe, Gundam and others
The Complete Works of Yasuhiko Yoshikazu
安彦良和全仕事集
large page count, color
Media Factory, 2000
Compendium of paintings and illustrations from anime and manga projects; Gundam, Arion, Dirty Pair and others
Yasuhiko Yoshikazu Original Artworks 2006-2007 catalog
安彦良和原画展 2006～2007 図録
236 pages, color and b&w
Unbranded, 2006
Large compendium that accompanied a traveling art exhibition of paintings and manga art
Yasuhiko Yoshikazu Animation Art Collection, Mobile Suit Gundam
安彦良和アニメーション原画集「機動戦士ガンダム」
271 pages,
Kadokawa Shoten, 2013
Huge collection of animation production layouts for original Gundam series and movies (order here)
Kunio Okawara Iron Works
大河原邦男アイアンワークス
112 pages, color and b&w
Bandai, 1989
Paintings and mecha designs from 1980s Sunrise productions; Gundam, Votoms, and others
Kunio Okawara Gundam Art Works
大河原邦男画集
Large page count, color
Movic, 1998
Paintings from several Gundam series from the first through the 90s
Kunio Okawara Real Robot Design Works
大河原邦男 REAL ROBOT DESIGN WORKS
97 pages, color and b&w
Movic, 2000
Compendium of mecha design from Vifam, SPT Layzner, and Dragonar
Mecha Designer Kunio Okawara, Mecha Design for 1/1
メカニックデザイナー大河原邦男 メカデザイン FOR 1/1
139 pages, color and b&w
Unbranded, 2009
Extensive overview of paintings and mecha design up to time of publication
Kunio Okawara, Legend of Mechanical Design
大河原邦男展 レジェンド・オブ・メカデザイン
352 pages, color and b&w
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art exhibition catalog with English text, 2013
Mechanic Designer Kunio Okawara Exhibition
メカニックデザイナー 大河原邦男展
346 pages, color and b&w
Sankei Shimbun, 2015
Art museum exhibition catalog with English text, 2015
Kunio Okawara Walker
大河原邦男Walker
122 pages, color
Kadokawa, 2015
Career retrospective with extensive art and product photos (order here)
Hyper Weapon and Hyper Weapon 2
ハイパーウェポン
Hyperweapon is a semi-annual archive of designs, paintings, illustrations, manga, and models created by Makoto Kobayashi. These early volumes were published by Model Art Co. in 1984 (98 pages each) and present a future-war world through art and model photography
Hyperweapon 2005
ハイパーウェポン 2005
Model Art Co., 2005
Covers Dragon’s Heaven, Gundam (various), Last Exile, Samurai 7, and others.
Hyperweapon 2007
ハイパーウェポン 2007
Model Art Co., 2007
Large format volume, covers ICE, Dragon’s Heaven, Yamato and others
Hyperweapon 2008
ハイパーウェポン2008
Model Art Co., 2008
Covers many original and print media works
Hyperweapon 2009
ハイパーウェポン2009
Model Art Co., 2009
Covers Yamato Resurrection and Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Hyperweapon 2011
ハイパーウェポン 2011
Model Art Co., 2011
Covers Yamato Resurrection Director’s Cut, Last Exile, and others
Hyperweapon 2013S Reason to Fly
ハイパーウェポン2013S飛ぶ理由
Dainippon Kaiga, 2014
Covers Yamato 2199, Yamato Resurrection, Last Exile, and original subjects (order here)
Hypeweapon 2014 The Way to Varellous
ハイパーウェポン2014バレラスへの道
126 pages, color
Dainippon Kaiga, 2014
Covers Yamato 2199 and earlier works (order here)
Hyperweapon 2014 + Future Weapon AS
ハイパーウェポン2014+未来兵器AS
127 pages, color
Dainippon Kaiga, 2014
Collection of Future Weapon AS [Advanced Shape] series from Hobby Japan magazine (order here)
Hyperweapon 2016 Paradise Logic
ハイパーウェポン2016楽園のロジック
126 pages, color
Dainippon Kaiga, 2016
Covers Yamato 2199 and original works (order here)
Additional Finds
Kazuhisa Kondo 2D & 3D Works
Go Ahead
GO AHEAD 近藤和久
230 pages, color and b&w
Hobby Japan, 1993
Kondo first came to prominence in the pages of Hobby Japan as an illustrator, modeler, and manga artist with a huge Gundam fixation. He expanded his range throughout the 80s to cover other subjects, but always came back to Gundam. This book is a substantial collection of his works (both in art and modeling) with Gundam getting the lion’s share of the pages.
Hideaki Anno Exhibition
庵野秀明展
496 pages, color
Museum book, 2021
This massive volume accompanied a traveling exhibition devoted to the life work of animator/designer/filmmaker Hideaki Anno, best known as the creator of Evangelion and one of the most prominent examples of a fan who lived his dreams by becoming a professional. Unfortunately, the book is only sold at art museums that host the exhibit, so you’ll have to dig deep to find it.
See the official website here
Junichi Hayama Live Drawing
アニメキャラクターの作画&デザインテクニック
176 pages, color and b&w
Genkosha, 2014
Junichi Hayama is a character designer by trade, and a fantastic illustrator with an energetic brush style that breathes life into every image. These two books showcase his talents brilliantly; the first in a “how-to” format and the second as an art collection that spans many vintage anime and live-action subjects with a focus on the 80s.
Junichi Hayama Illustration Collections
Self-published, 2013-2017
Four of these incredible volumes exist (that I know of), averaging 140 pages with high-voltage color illustrations from front to back. If you like 80s anime or tokusatsu shows, each of these books will have something for you.
Mechanism Trajectory
Yuji Kaida Illustration Collection
開田裕治画集 メカニズムの軌跡
192 pages, color
Ikeda Shoten, 2022
Yuji Kaida is one of the top mecha painters in the world with a career spanning at least 40 years. This book collects his best mecha paintings from box art to posters and everything in between, with a focus on 80s and 90s anime.