This latest themed set of 20 colored pencils is inspired by the Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji series by master artisan Katsushika Hokusai.

A new collaboration between Felissimo Museum Club and Waraku Web, a web magazine about Japanese culture, has resulted in the release of a special-edition “Color in Edo! Hokusai Colored Pencils” collection of 20 colored pencils. The idea for this set was initially derived from Felissimo’s popular monthly mail order 500 Colored Pencils: Tokyo Seeds series. However, this time around the name has been shifted to “Edo,” as Tokyo was called until 1868, to highlight the careful selection of 20 colors that faithfully represent the hues, especially blues, used by ukiyo-e woodblock print master Hokusai in his Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji masterpiece series (painted between 1830-1832).

Specifically, the palette is inspired by three of Hokusai’s most famous prints:

▼ “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”

▼ “Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit”

▼ “Fine Wind, Clear Morning”

As a fun detail, the sleeve of the palette case also features a laser-cut design of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”

In addition, the colors themselves aren’t the only highlight of the set. True to all Felissimo colored pencils, the name of each individual color possesses a whimsical charm. Interestingly, their Japanese names deviate significantly from their English ones, with many of the Japanese names taking cues from Hokusai’s works and personality. For example, the Japanese color “Edo Dance, Dance, Dance” is rendered as “Rustic Steps” in English while the Japanese “I Can’t Think and Don’t Want to Think about Anything Other than Drawing” is rendered as the English “Sweet Chocolate.” Many of the Japanese names also sound like the surreal titles of Haruki Murakami novels.

The set comes with three postcard-sized illustrations for coloring in as well as an at-a-glance guide for understanding the color names and meanings. These illustrations showcase Hokusai’s singular use of lines and bold compositions.

Felissimo began selling the Color in Edo! Hokusai Colored Pencils set on March 16 for 4,400 yen (US$40) on their website with plans for delivery in May. This special edition set is limited to 500 copies, so be sure to grab yours while you’re still riding on the Kanagawa wave of ukiyo-e inspiration.

Sources: PR Times, Felissimo
Images: PR Times
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