Kirjahaku

Poetry collection by Naoko Fujimoto. Editor's Choice, Willow Books. Born and raised in Nagoya, Japan, Fujimoto is currently a Chicago-area graphic poetry artist.A RHINO associate editor, Fujimoto's Poetry & Art site introduces readers to graphic poetry and showcases book projects.

Naoko Fujimoto translates her poems (that are written in English on flat paper) into words and images to create a contemporary picture scroll. The picture scroll in Japanese is Emaki (eh-MA-kee) and the style has been popular since the 7-16th centuries in Japan. It is still a widely recognized art style in Japan and the rest of the world. Emaki is akin to a current graphic novel / poetry / comic. One of the most famous Emaki is the Tale of Genji, which is a fictional (perhaps gossip) story about a handsome son of the emperor. The graphic poetry project is also meant for the viewer to transport their senses from the flat paper and bridge the gap between words and images that will connect with their physical counterparts. Like a historical Emaki, there are side stories hidden behind some of the main graphic narratives-- be they comedic or serious-- for audiences to interpret. All of the details (choice of words, origami paper, or styles) have a specific meaning to contribute to the whole. Graphic Poetry is Trans. Sensory.

This poetry collection is a text collage about intergenerational war trauma: how my Japanese family lived through it and how we coped. This story was built from my two grandmothers' war experiences; though, the main characters are a woman narrator and her grandmother. They are celebrating Grandmother's birthday at a teppan-yaki restaurant (Japanese barbecue) and the story shifts between the present and World War II.