A graphic goldmine for artists and designers looking for unique illustration references.
About 15 years ago, while on a visit to Japan my friend Toshi suggested that I check out Nakano Broadway. He said that it was one of his favorite places to find graphic inspiration. I didn't know what to expect but after a short walk thru what is essentially a dirt mall I found an endless supply of vintage toys shops, antique stores, kiosks selling genuine anime cells and menko card shops. These are tight little stores bursting with binders full of meticulously organized simple character cards. I was immediately drawn into the bright, wild and seemingly random illustrations. On that first visit, I started my own little collection knowing that they would be a useful graphic reference in my design work. I keep them close and have referenced them often. My little collection is nothing compared to what Antwan Horfee has amassed... I am grateful that he had the foresight to put a book together documenting his enormous collection of this unique and graphically robust subculture.
Menko Toys celebrates Antwan Horfee’s insane collection of Menko cards. This book presents the material again as objects to interpret. of course, each has a history. Peter Lyle writes that Menko are "talismanic throwing cards with striking art that now serves as documentation of the changes Japanese society underwent over the 20th-century."
