Interest
Printed Version of Otomo's Airport Mural Goes on Sale
posted on by Eric Stimson
On March 12, famed manga artist Katsuhiro Ōtomo (Akira) unveiled an 8.7-meter-long (28.5 feet) mural at Sendai Airport. Otomo drew the picture the mural is based on and supervised its creation. Otomo, who hails from nearby Tome, said the mural represents children who face the difficulties that lie ahead with courage (the region is one of the areas hit by the 2011 tsunami). It depicts a boy riding a mechanical goldfish over a turbulent sea accompanied by Fūjin and Raijin, the gods of wind and thunder, and is made out of ceramic fragments.
Printed versions of "Kinka Dōji Riding the Waves Accompanied by Fūjin and Raijin," autographed by Otomo, are on sale for 129,600 yen (US$1,085). Only 250 prints are available. Per Otomo's wishes, a portion of the sales will go to disaster relief in his native Miyagi Prefecture. If you're interested, you can place an order here.
Source: Comic Natalie and Mainichi Shimbun; Images from Kinka Dōji Project and Twitter]