Cool Art Tokyo Co., Ltd. was established by the Asai Collection, so we are able to handle all true Ukiyoe from the Asai Collection. The Asai Collection owns about 10,000 sets of 30,000 first editions and similar originals of Ukiyoe created in the Edo and Meiji periods. Our strength lies in our ability to use these original Ukiyoe to create digital art, Kasane Graphica Ukiyoe, and related products and deliver them to the public. In addition, various art exhibitions have been held using Ukiyoe from the Asai Collection. Besides, university professors have published books using the Ukiyoe arts of the Asai Collection. In this way, we are able to deliver to our customers the traditional Japanese values that have been recognized by many people.
The Ukiyoe arts in the Asai Collection, painted and created during the Edo and Meiji periods, have not only been preserved in their original vivid colors, but also show the rise and fall of the paints used in those days and the patterns applied in the colors. Kasane Graphica reproduces not only the original colors, but also the rise, fall, and shade of the Ukiyoe arts of the time. With "Kasane Graphica," the rise and fall of the paint and the brush strokes are estimated from the image data of the work, and three-dimensional information is created. Based on this information, ink is layered to reproduce the rise of the paint and the texture of the original painting. By combining digital technology with the handiwork that artisans have cultivated over the years, we have completed a work that conveys the atmosphere of the time when the ukiyoe was drawn. Because of the time and effort required to produce each piece, we only accept orders.
Reprints are new Ukiyoe prints that are based on the designs of Ukiyoe prints from the Edo and Meiji periods, and are produced again in the modern age. Since the woodblock is newly carved and colored by printing, it has the flavor of a woodblock print. Because the woodblock is newly created, the result is beautiful. On the other hand, since the woodblock is newly carved, the design may differ from the original. Also, since it is a new ukiyoe, the texture and taste of the original are usually different.
Kasane Graphica Ukiyoe, on the other hand, uses a combination of the latest digital technology and hand finishing to delicately adjust the details and colors. This delicate process aims to reproduce the original texture and taste of the Edo and Meiji period. Since the originals have been in production for many years, they have developed a taste for aging. With Kasane Graphica, we can faithfully reproduce not only the exact same composition as the original, but also the taste that comes from the aging process. Many ukiyoe prints created in the Edo and early Meiji periods have achieved unique compositions and colors that still amaze us today, and we are drawn in by their splendor when we look at them. The technique of kasane graphica is suitable for conveying the splendor and impressiveness of the originals to customers as they are.
At Cool Art Tokyo, we use Kasane Graphica to deliver the original Ukiyoe taste to our customers just as it was when the original was created.
It takes approximately two weeks from the time we receive your order to the time we deliver the Kasane Graphica as custom-made to you. If you are in Japan, the delivery time will be a little shorter, about 1 week to 10 days. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we would like you to understand that in some cases, orders from overseas, especially from countries far away from Japan, may take longer than two weeks due to postal circumstances. For merchandise items other than Kasane Graphica, we aim for approximately one week. However, if you are ordering from overseas, especially from a country far away from Japan, we would like to ask you to keep in mind that it may take longer than one week due to postal circumstances.
In the case of Kasane Graphica, we will cover the shipping costs for the purchase of the painting only. If you purchase the painting with a frame, we ask that you pay the shipping costs as indicated. Shipping costs vary depending on the area of the country you are sending to.
Import duties vary from country to country. If import duties are charged according to international rules, we regret to inform you that you will have to pay them. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we ask that you pay the duty when you receive the product.
If you are in Japan, you will not be charged a customs duty.