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All the colors of historical Japanese paintings are now at your fingertips, literally.

Since 1751, Ueba Esou has proudly sold glorious colors of paint to aspiring artists all over Japan. The white fox label is synonymous with their brand and they’ve had centuries to perfect their selection of paints, which include gofun (white, shell-based pigment), iwa enogu (mineral-based paint) and suihi enogu (mud-based paint). Their products have become known for their even colors and since the company was able to create consistently positive customer relationships, they have managed to carve out an important place in Japanese art history.

For most of us, we unfortunately won’t find ourselves surrounded by these wonderful paints in our daily lives. However, luckily for us, Ueba Esou has created a new line of products that combines their rich traditions with the trends of the modern world.

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This nail polish is perfect for adding just the right touch of “Japan” to the tips of your fingers. There are dozens of colors to choose from that sport wonderful names such as tsuya beni (glossy crimson), uguisu midori (nightingale green) and mizu asagi (water yellow).
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All of the polishes are made from gofun, which has a number of benefits over the normal lacquer, including being easy on keratin (your nails), quick-drying, lacking the strong odor found in most polishes and breathability. The polish is also water-soluble, so you don’t need to use harsh nail polish remover to get rid of it.

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Each color of nail polish sells for 1,300 yen (US$11.70) and can be purchased from their bricks-and-mortar store in Kyoto, their online store, or from Amazon Japan. Be sure to check out some of their colorful design suggestions below and get ready to turn your nails into a Japanese historical masterpiece.

Source: Japaaan Magazine
Images: Ueba Esou