names of aquatic life

By Seiko Tachibana
Oakland, California: Moshi-Moshi Press, 2017. Edition of 18.

6 x 6"; 36 pages. Accordion structure extending from the back pastedown. Printed on watercolor paper. Bound in hard covers with kanji character illustrations. Mylar wrapper with titles. In plexi slipcase. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Tachibana shows how the Japanese language creates words by using a key kanji character (in this case, the symbol for fish) and adding the character for a distinguishing characteristic. For example, the kanji for fish plus the kanji for sake barrel becomes trout, because the trout is shaped like a sake barrel.
$550