The layers of Keiichi Tanaami

I'd not heard of Keiichi Tanaami until I found some books on his works when I last visited Japan. The first book I saw (and subsequently bought) was 'Layers of Keiichi Tanaami' (2006). Upon opening this book and seeing Tanaami's work for the first time was like my head had been levered open by a giant bottle-opener - ksssht! I stood in the store slack-jawed and awe-struck as I leafed through the pages.
The book is amazing, 8 separately bound sections bound together as one. Each section's "covers" are two-colour designed details of his work, and the reproduction is beautiful. The cover is a two-colour job, with a custom-matte varnish overlaid. Content-wise the book includes examples of Tanaami's work, scans of the manuscripts involved to choose colours and composition (see below) and photos of sculptures and costumes made from his work.

Here are some scans from the book, click on each for larger:

Goldfish Lurking in Twilight

Scene with a Crying Woman

Seaside Theater

An example of the manuscript used to develop Seaside Theater

Sample of the cover section, between each bound sub-section

There's an interview with Tanaami here , and you can buy 'Layers of Keiichi Tanaami' here.

Here's a YouTube video of an interview with Tanaami: