Kiku Obata & Company

In 1957, Japanese American artist Chiura Obata painted an alphabet book for his six-year-old granddaughter, Kiku, in a single afternoon. Together, they sat at the kitchen table, thinking of each animal while he painted.

Over 60 years later, the fragile original was lovingly reproduced by Kiku for her grandchildren. Our studio carefully matched each watercolor through extensive proofs and designed a small, cloth-bound hardcover book, the same size as the original, to share Obata’s charming paintings with a new generation.

Additionally, we created a poster showcasing all the watercolors as a timeless keepsake.