In the Japanese-inspired art and toy area, as well as throughout the larger toy collecting community, Mark is welcomed and recognized for his personal passion and commitment to supporting artists all around the world and the unique works they create. But the one description that might fit best is an unofficial one – Kaiju Toy and Art Ambassador. The man behind San Francisco-based Max Toy Company is widely known as: Toy Collector. Over the years Mark Nagata has collected thousands of toys and a fair amount of titles. I will post more interviews with the Women in the Beauty and the Kaiju project, so keep checking back !!!! Īnd in February 2011, the project moves to Rotofugi in Chicago, with an added bonus we will reveal very soon 😉Īnd, for 2011, look for a special project collab between Max Toys and Konatsu ! Giclee prints, signed by Konatsu will be available at the show.Īfter the show, I will make them available for sale via my web store. This awesome image of Kaiju Drazoran will be part of the Beauty and the Kaiju art show at Design Festa, West, Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan – Dec 22nd, 23rd & 24th, 2010. I hope on one of my trips to Japan I can watch Konatsu paint in person ! Amazing ! Q5: Any last words you would like to say to the readers of this blog ?Īnswer: I do appreciate your support for my works! Q4: What kind of toys did you play with when you were growing up ? Any Kaiju ?!!Īnswer: I played with my favorite Kaiju sofubi and collected some dinosaur cards. Q2: As a child, were you always interested in Art ?Īnswer: Art is the only thing I have been interested in ever since from my childhood.Īnswer: I was attending a school of graphic design. Q1: Can you tell me what kind of artwork you do ?Īnswer: I draw arts that can be popular with men and women of all ages. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. The following interview was conducted via email and once again thank you to my buddy, Yo Miyamoto for his translations and support of this project ! “One story for one character” is the main concept of Konatsu’ work. Konatsu has published several picture books such as ‘PORTER’, ‘CAROL’, and ‘HIDAMARI-ASOBI (play in a sunny spot)’. Her gallery work can been seen at the Japanese store, FEWMANY, a group exhibition at POPBOX, and various Design Festa shows in Japan. I have to say I’ve wanted to buy one of her works but each time without fail they sell within minutes of the shows openings ! Ah someday … -P Konatsu’s brush and line work are sure and steady … for sure she is a Master with these tools. It’s rare that someone can move in and out of both worlds successfully while maintaining their personal vision and style… something Konatsu does with ease.

However, as you can see by her body of work below, her designs also translate to a more graphic style as well.

Konatsu’s original works harken back to the traditional Japanese ink and brush techniques. Unlike other artists that day whose personalities took over the room, Konatsu was quite and unassuming … so much so that when my conversation was briefly interrupted with her, when i turned back to talk some more. It was at that show that I had the most brief meeting with Konatsu. I’ve been so very fortune to have been able to have Konatsu participate in Max Toy shows, including a Kaiju Blue show, Kaiju Attack Barcelona Spain show and the Kaiju Comrades 2 show from this past March.

With geek culture products in high demand and strong purchasing power, these niche toy collectors still clamor to collect the most sought after Sofubi.Today we feature yet another super talented artist from Japan, named Konatsu. Collaborations among artists are also popular. Today, it is common to have rare or exclusive designs with limited colorways as well, a similar marketing strategy practiced by most luxury brands. However, it managed to survive due to higher quality and small production quantities. However when China started mass producing these types of toys cheaply in the 90s, it was thought that the Sofubi industry in Japan would quickly be eclipsed. This type of toy manufacturing actually started long ago in the 1950s and became a popular method of toy production in Japan.

If you didn’t know, Sofubi is the Japanese term for a specific type of soft vinyl Japanese toy that is highly collectible. A post shared by こなつ earlier mentioned that Konatsu also designs and sells Sofubi (also known as sofvi).

Konatsu tunacan