Rune Naito was an artist, illustrator, and tastemaker popular in Japan from the 1950s through the 1970s. A pioneering figure of the kawaii artistic movement, Rune’s illustrations, fancy goods, figurines, and fashions were immensely popular with young girls and women across Japan.
Long before Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma, there was little Kurumi-chan, lending her cuteness to transform everyday objects into must-have items. Considered one of the first kawaii character icons, Kurumi-chan made her debut in 1938 as the bubbly and cheerful protagonist…
Nakahara Junichi was an artist and illustrator popular during the pre- and post-war periods in Japan. He is known for his graceful, lyrical style featuring young, stylish women with large eyes and long eyelashes. His illustrations were featured in a variety of magazines targeted at young girls and women including the immensely popular Shojo No Tomo during the 1930s and Soleil, Junior Soleil, and Himawari, all published by Junichi soon after WWII.
While Kawaii as a modern concept didn’t begin until the 1970s, the roots of Kawaii can be traced back to the Taisho period (1912-1926), starting with artist, poet, and illustrator, Takeshisa Yumeji. Considered to be the godfather of kawaii, Takehisa was a leading figure of the Japanese Taisho Romanticism art movement, which combined current western art styles, such as Art Nouveau and Jugendstil, with Japanese artistic traditions.