Kaguya
A project involving choosing a legend or myth and creating a book cover using the culture’s designs and motifs. I specifically went with the idea of “what if Madeline Miller retold a Japanese legend?”
I started looking at traditional Japanese attire for high-ranking women and fell in love with the Junihitoe often worn by Japanese princesses. Compositionally I decided it would be more interesting to focus on the many layers and patterns of the Junihitoe and use them to tell aspects of the story.
The crane pattern “tsuru” represents longevity and good fortune. The Bamboo “take” represents strength and flexibility and ties in with Kaguya’s birth. The moon pattern is a design of my own to show her celestial origins. The flowers “sakura” symbolizes softness, kindness, and transcendent beauty. The yellow pattern has a mix of coins and a pattern called “shippo” that represents the five treasures of Buddhism. I used these to show the wealth her family gets from the bamboo shoot and the impossible treasure Kaguya sent her suitors to find. Lastly, on the orange fabric, I used a pattern called “Uroko” which symbolizes good luck and protection.
