This illustration shows a kakigoori, i.e. Japanese crushed ice, in the form of a Japanese castle. Generally, kakigoori is eaten in summer during various matsuri (traditional Japanese festival) such as the Tanabata Matsuri.
Here, the crushed ice is in fact a castle, the grandiose Osaka-jo recognized thanks to Oda Nobunaga in particular. Recognized as impregnable, the assailants prayed to the gods to subdue the Osaka-jo.
Here, the Japanese teapot used for the Sado ceremony (during which a professional serves macha, Japanese tea) represents the Sun who will attack the Osaka castle. The rays are reminiscent of the Japanese navy, known for its red ray sun. We then find a form of the Japan of yesteryear which is highlighted by the style of the drawing itself: vintage and old school poster, with the Ukiyo-e touch.
On the Osaka castle flows red fruit coulis and strawberries are added, topped with whipped cream. The base of the kakigoori is a classic pot, with the sign of the ice cube (because googi, from kakigoori means crushed ice) over a big wave of Hokusai. Here, it is not the one corresponding to the big wave with Mount Fuji but another artwork of the Hokusai artist.
For this drawing, I am inspired on the one hand by a series that I liked, highlighting a Japan and Germany of the Second World War that would have subjugated America, and on the other hand by a personal memory of a famous kakigoori that I could taste in a specialized restaurant in Osaka. The vintage style is reminiscent of this American series: the man in a large building is replaced by a divine teapot (close to yokai, kazejin or Amaterasu) surmounting a large castle.
Will the Japanese teapot (dedicated to the tea ceremony) subdue the famous Oda Nobunaga castle? It is up to you to continue the story between this majestic kakigoori and this radiant being.
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