Yuta Takahashi – Traditional Festival of Japan 2015 — 中村 日本
Yuta Takahashi was the man responsible for the visual design of 'Traditional Festival of Japan', a traditional event held every fall in Shikoku, Japan. In this traditional local festival, visitors carry something called a Taikodai, which is a 2 ton portable shrine decorated in gold. They carry this through town, thanking nature and the gods for the year's abundant harvest. Skilled craftsmen decorate the Taikodai with delicate yet bold embroidery, done in the shape of a golden Ark of the Covenant. Various myths passed down through the ages are depicted through the elaborate embroidery, and the skill of the craftsmen is truly breathtaking. We selected one scene from a myth, and used Japanese methods like gold leaf covering and calligraphy, as well as modern design, to pay homage to these skilled craftsmen.