The Thousands

Things go in and out of fashion right? Fondue, disco, tie dye…ahem, and other things that aren’t from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Like Tatebanko. This is a forgotten Japanese art of diorama that was quite the pastime in the Edo period (1603 – 1868). We can just imagine the Tokugawa shogun indulging in a Tatebanko session before whipping some eastern barbarians.**Like the Tokugawa clan, Tatebanko all but disappeared during the 20th Century. However, its revival is at hand. Tatebanko Hokusau and Hiroshige comprise three different Japanese vistas: Kambara Evening Snow, Hakone View of the Lake and The Great Wave of Kanagawa. There’s even ‘Miss!!’ piece included in case you make a wry cut and a ‘Secret!’ piece that consists of a sumo surfing with a pink umbrella. Not sure what the shogun would think of that.