Ginkgo Sisters

Ginkgo Sisters ● A unit consisting of two artists. They use a traditional technique called "leaf printing" to faithfully reproduce the unique shape of ginkgo leaves. In addition to ginkgo, they also create leaf printing works and botanical specimens of other plants that are particularly rare or artistic. www.ginkgosisters.com

It would be interesting to pique intellectual curiosity through "leaf plaques."

—So, how did you come up with the name Ginkgo Sisters?

The English name for Miyamoto ginkgo is "ginkgo," which sounds quite feminine, doesn't it?
In English, it 's also called the maidenhair tree , and there are various theories about its origin, including that it resembles a woman's hairstyle or pubic hair. We chose the name " Ginkgo Sisters " to emphasize that the ginkgo tree, not us, is the main focus.

—Why did you choose ginkgo leaves as your motif?

Takei: We are originally woodblock print artists, and we usually create our art separately, but there are ginkgo trees lining the street right in front of our studio, so we started by picking up the fallen leaves from there and making leaf prints. Even though they are all ginkgo leaves, if you look closely, the way the veins are arranged and the overall shape are completely different from leaf to leaf, which is very interesting.



—Why do you represent ginkgo leaves using the "leaf rubbing" technique?

Miyamoto: Even with fallen leaves, when you make a leaf print, you can delicately express details like the veins, and the ginkgo itself gains a powerful presence. I think this is the unique charm of leaf prints.
Takei: There's a botanical encyclopedia called "Honso Zufu," which was created during the Edo period and is the oldest known botanical encyclopedia in Japan. I've found that this encyclopedia and leaf rubbings go well together, and I've been creating my works based on that image.

—It's interesting that the "Illustrated Compendium of Medicinal Plants" is an underlying theme.

Back then, there was no printing, so someone would copy it, and then someone else would copy it, and that's how it spread, so there's inconsistency in the quality of the drawings and lettering. Each person who copies it has their own unique style in the lettering and drawings, which is what makes it interesting.
Miyamoto: In that sense, by making further copies, we are creating yet another new "Illustrated Compendium of Medicinal Plants."


──What do you want to convey through your work in the future?

It would be interesting if leaf print artworks of various plants, not just Takei ginkgo, were created, allowing people to make new discoveries like, "I didn't know such plants existed," and stimulating each other's intellectual curiosity and aesthetic sensibilities.

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