Grody Shogun takes us deeper into the very deep waters of Japanese culture with a new series of round figures. Just as Oji-san and Karakuri were inspired by elements of Japanese history and folklore, so are these new, as yet unnamed creations.
First, here are a look at some of the sculpts:
One of the sources of inspiration was the kokeshi (小芥子), a traditional Japanese doll made of wood, with a round head and no arms or legs. Here are some examples:
Another point of departure was the Jizo (地蔵) or Jizō Bosatsu (Jizo Bodhisattva), a very popular Japanese deity often represented as a stone idol. The statues are found everywhere in Japan, often draped in red clothing and hats. Here are some:
Luke created his figures starting with a long indented slab of Fondo (a sculpting material):
The resulting elements are stackable like so:
No word yet on when we'll see the first of these in sofubi. Hopefully soon. I think these would be very cool surrounding a clan of Ojis and En-men.
Oh yes! I've been thinking about these guys since the Twitter tease a couple of months ago - Grodyhenge, here we come!
ReplyDeletenot trying to hate or anything at all- i respect what grody shogun is doing and achieving... but these just look like piles of shit. honestly. just some scraped wax and some blobby wax. i dont even see any connection with the folklore. oh well. to each his own.
ReplyDeletemaybe give them the benefit of the doubt since this could be a really early stage?
ReplyDeleteThat's also my way of thinking, John.
ReplyDeleteThese look like final wax, not early stages. I hope they give these the axe before it's too late. They look terrible, sofubi collectors want cool beautiful toys, not rough lumps of nothing.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that most of you will be eating those words come production - painted up or just in interesting vinyl colors I'm certain that these will look amazing alongside Luke's more "traditional" toys. I'm excited for these in the same way I would be if Buta were to release some buildings or huts. These "rough lumps of nothing" are just the thing to make a truly Grody environment at home.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it, I enjoyed Luke's airbrushed figures, but his new experimental paints have been...not so appealing. I don't think any color will make me appreciate these. I have no interest in creating a Grody environment. I just want quality, thoughtful, well designed toys, and these don't cut it. Glad you enjoy them, you'll have no competition from me. I'll just stick to the Monsters.
ReplyDelete