Happi Boy 2

Happi Boy 2, edition 20 of 100 from 2004, depicts a young boy in a happi coat — the traditional short festival jacket worn at matsuri and celebrations. Happi coats with their bold dyed patterns and festival associations represent the vivid, public, celebratory side of Japanese textile culture, perfectly aligned with Kaneko's aesthetic sensibility. The child wearing the coat adds to the festive character: this is an image of uninhibited enjoyment, of traditional culture experienced as living pleasure rather than museum artifact.