Description
From Ukiyo-e Project: "This design pays homage to the artwork of Iron Maiden's second Album, Killers. The word tsujigiri in the Japanese title of this ukiyo-e (Tsujigiri Eddie) literally translates as "crossroads killing," and is a reference to the traditional practice of samurais before the 1600s, who would attack unexpected defenseless passersby in the streets at night and slash their throats to test the effectiveness of a new sword. This ancient practice echoes the crimes of Jack-the-Ripper, who slashed his victims' throats and also came from Great Britain, Iron Maiden's native country." (Credits: 2016 Iron Maiden LLP. Under License to Global Merchandising Services Ltd., Ukiyo-e Project)
Iron Maiden x Ukiyo-e Project Concept
Iron Maiden are known not only for their story-telling music, but also for maintaining their solid, creative image that runs throughout all aspects of their work. Now brought to life through ukiyo-e, the two collaboration pieces in this series show Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie as having gone back in time to spread evil in Edo-period Japan. The legendary Iron Maiden torture device is featured in both artworks - the characters written within phonetically spell out " Iron Maiden" and have the meaning "Works of Darkness."
About the artist
With offices in LA and in Tokyo, UKIYO-E PROJECT is a contemporary ukiyo-e publisher founded by Yuka Mitsui in 2014 to keep ukiyo-e craftsmanship thriving by creating a new market for their traditional skills. As the words “ukiyo” and “e” mean “present” and “image” respectively, ukiyo-e naturally depicted popular trends and cultures of their times. Staying true to this philosophy, UKIYO-E PROJECT immortalizes iconic stars and landscapes of today through traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints, which continue to receive extensive press and have been acquired by international institutions such as the British Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (MAK), and the Miami University Libraries.