expo nippon

Spotted some amazing images along the walkway in Shinjuku station today...scantly clothed models submerged in murky blue water titled "Converse Expo Nippon".

...lets see what we can find here....

Japanese culture was officially introduced to the West by collectors of Japanese art at the Paris Wold Fair in 1867. The art which resulted from this influence is described as japonesque. Hokusai and Hiroshige prints becomes a new source of inspiration for the European impressionist painters and cubists such as  Van Gough & Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec etc. Convere's Japan-exclusive 2009 collection celebrates the introduction of Japanese culture to the western art public.

And,  it all might have happened by accident. One of the first most valuable commodities exported from Japan to Europe were fragile Japanese porcelains. These had to be packed very carefully to survive the sea journey. The precious art objects were wrapped in another form of artwork, discared Japanese prints. As they say....one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Japanese collections enter the Louvre in 1892 and it is said that the Meiji Emperor even donated some pieces of his private collection to further encourage the Japonesque movement in Europe. 

The 2009 Spring & Summer collection from Converse revisits the original motifs and materials seen in these early Japanese works. Bekko(turtoise shell, the Wajima one star, bright crimson red paint....

also...

Meiji Jingu is a Shino shrine. Shinto values harmony with nature and virtures "magokoro(sincere heart) and believes in an unlimited number of kami (gods).  Meiji Jingu shrines the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort Empress Shoken. They passed away in 1914 but to commemorate their virtues and venerate them forever the people donated 100,000 trees from all over Japan and worked voluntarily to create a forest in the middle of Tokyo. if you have been there you will agree that there is a special, clean & overwhelmingly peaceful feeling about the place despite it being in the middle of chaos. must be all the "magokoro". 

my white leather low-tops are looking rather ratty and i really like the look of the bekko tortoise shell design. i think i will be taking a bit of japonesque back to london....