What is the vision of designer Yoshikuni Inoue behind "Samurai Typography"? An interview article previously published in a pamphlet is now available on our website. (Interviewer: Naotaka Sugiyama, Kaitai Shinsho Inc.)
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I want to convey "failure" and "success" and bestow the power to overcome difficulties.
―― So that's how it was.
I also learned many other things from the samurai's way of life, such as morals like valuing people and keeping promises, and the knack for winning. When I was lost in my work, I would look at things from the perspective of a Sengoku warlord, asking myself, "How would Ieyasu judge this situation?" This allowed me to make calm decisions. Without the samurai's teachings, I wouldn't be who I am today.
I want to convey the fascinating way of life of the samurai. I want to connect the samurai's feelings with the people living today, so that their stories of "failure" and "success" can encourage new challenges and provide the strength to overcome difficulties. That's what I wanted to create.
The birth of my eldest daughter in 2017 was also a major turning point. I wanted to create something that my child would remember and be proud of when she grew up, thinking, "My father, as a designer, created something like this." After much trial and error, the answer I found was samurai typography.
Breathing life into it by directly seeing the warlords' helmets
――Why typography?
Because typography allows me to vividly convey the samurai's stories of "failure" and "success." In addition to graphic images, I can express the samurai's identity using keywords. By reading keywords related to a warlord's life, you can enjoy it by thinking, "Ah, that's this warlord, isn't it?" or "I understand this message."
――Currently, your works mainly focus on the armor of Sengoku warlords, don't they?
For Sengoku warlords, armor was not merely protective gear but also played the role of fashion, expressing individuality and dignity. The decorative crests, known as "maedate," each carried a message, revealing the warlord's personality. It's the perfect item for conveying the samurai's story.
――Your T-shirts feature pop expressions.
I try to create a sense of lightness in the T-shirts through the use of colors and flat designs. I thought this might pique the interest of people who aren't usually interested in samurai. I also consider designs by tallying graphic surveys on social media. Even if I, as the designer, think a design is good, fans often prefer a different one. I enjoy the challenge of finding the optimal solution and the excitement of making new discoveries while working on them.
――What kind of process do you follow for production?
Once I decide which warlord to feature, I gather materials. The more I research a warlord, the more fascinating unknown anecdotes emerge.
Books and the internet alone don't expand my imagination enough, so I try to go see the warlord's armor in person whenever possible. I believe that by expressing what I feel from the land associated with the warlord and the armor in words, life is breathed into the graphics, creating a sense of dynamism.
Once the general design is decided, I compile a draft of the warlord's life, translate it into English, and arrange the keywords along the shadows. Balancing the keywords and the design is difficult, and it takes about a month to produce one piece, but it's also an enjoyable process.