I draw the CD jacket for Chuei Yoshikawa

In 2020, I had the opportunity to draw the CD jacket for Chuei Yoshikawa, an artist whom I have been a big fan of for a long time. Let me tell you a little about him. You may know him as the acoustic guitar player who played the intro to Yuming’s “If You Can Wrap Yourself in Kindness” in the opening of Studio Ghibli’s (Kiki’s Delivery Service) movie. In addition to that, he has worked with many other artists such as Masaharu Fukuyama and Rimi Natsukawa, and I think it’s safe to say that he is practically synonymous with the folk songs of the 70s.

I recently went to see his live performance in Ishikawa prefecture, and was blown away not only by his guitar skills, but also by his outstanding vocal performance. He even incorporated some storytelling in a rakugo-style performance that went incredibly well with his guitar playing. I had the pleasure of speaking with Yoshikawa-san and it was a very enjoyable time.