We normally offer 10-15% off on the month's special feature, and to avoid disappointing anyone who just misses the end of the month, we reduce the discounts gradually. Remember you can still get the standard discounts on top of these special prices: currently another 10% off all puzzle orders.
April 2010: eighth anniversary Bargain sale puzzles at under half-price!
Titles begin with the number of pieces. The link under each puzzle ("More puzzles like this one") takes you to the theme page on which the puzzle appears.
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The white piano has four (playerless) double basses one side, and four unicycles the other, plus rocking horses in the sky and all the usual Fujishiro fun...
Born in 1924, Fujishiro has had a long and productive career as an illustrator - producing many children's books, and creating his own brand of fantasy along the way. From an early involvement with shadow puppetry, he developed his own unique style: he calls these kage-e (literally "shadow pictures"), but his is a backlit world not of black and white (or grey), but of wonderful translucent colours, apparently made mostly from tissue paper.
He is still active at the age of 80, and his work has appeared all over the world, most recently (February 2005) in New York and Washington.
 In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10653 (1000-653 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 15% off: ¥3060 (approx. US$37.78 €29.71 £24.48)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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© Fujishiro Seiji
Along with fanciful titles, mermaids and cats are two favourite Fujishiro themes.
Born in 1924, Fujishiro has had a long and productive career as an illustrator - producing many children's books, and creating his own brand of fantasy along the way. From an early involvement with shadow puppetry, he developed his own unique style: he calls these kage-e (literally "shadow pictures"), but his is a backlit world not of black and white (or grey), but of wonderful translucent colours, apparently made mostly from tissue paper.
He is still active at the age of 80, and his work has appeared all over the world, most recently (February 2005) in New York and Washington.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10458 (1000-458 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 15% off: ¥3060 (approx. US$37.78 €29.71 £24.48)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.58 €10.68 £8.80)
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© Fujishiro Seiji
There's something northern European about the setting (shades of van Goch somehow), but the title and characters are pure Fujishiro.
This is a 'glow-in-the-dark' puzzle.
Born in 1924, Fujishiro has had a long and productive career as an illustrator - producing many children's books, and creating his own brand of fantasy along the way. From an early involvement with shadow puppetry, he developed his own unique style: he calls these kage-e (literally "shadow pictures"), but his is a backlit world not of black and white (or grey), but of wonderful translucent colours, apparently made mostly from tissue paper.
He is still active at the age of 80, and his work has appeared all over the world, most recently (February 2005) in New York and Washington.
 This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10427 (1000-427 on box)
Normally ¥3900 - special offer 15% off: ¥3315 (approx. US$40.93 €32.18 £26.52)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.58 €10.68 £8.80)
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Musicians and dancers are all elegantly dressed for this exuberant display...
Born in 1924, Fujishiro has had a long and productive career as an illustrator - producing many children's books, and creating his own brand of fantasy along the way. From an early involvement with shadow puppetry, he developed his own unique style: he calls these kage-e (literally "shadow pictures"), but his is a backlit world not of black and white (or grey), but of wonderful translucent colours, apparently made mostly from tissue paper.
He is still active at the age of 80, and his work has appeared all over the world, most recently (February 2005) in New York and Washington.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10496 (1000-496 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 15% off: ¥3060 (approx. US$37.78 €29.71 £24.48)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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More Fujishiro fun in a forest of cosmos daisies - a bevy of instrumentalists accompany the singing, while dragonflies loop the loop and a unicycle flies through the sky.
Born in 1924, Fujishiro has had a long and productive career as an illustrator - producing many children's books, and creating his own brand of fantasy along the way. From an early involvement with shadow puppetry, he developed his own unique style: he calls these kage-e (literally "shadow pictures"), but his is a backlit world not of black and white (or grey), but of wonderful translucent colours, apparently made mostly from tissue paper.
He is still active at the age of 80, and his work has appeared all over the world, most recently (February 2005) in New York and Washington.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10444 (1000-444 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 15% off: ¥3060 (approx. US$37.78 €29.71 £24.48)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$13.58 €10.68 £8.80)
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The white tiger and her two cubs rest in a typically colourful Ogasawara setting — this includes the emblematic pine-plum-and-bamboo, and the setting red sun.
A hint on why the sun is red
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10641 (1000-641 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 10% off: ¥3240 (approx. US$40.00 €31.46 £25.92)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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White rats dance over their wagonload of treasure - a wondrous cornucopia, chests (of gold?), red coral, a lucky mallet, and more...
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10605 (1000-605 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 10% off: ¥3240 (approx. US$40.00 €31.46 £25.92)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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Puppies play among spring flowers, as butterflies and a bluebird look on, while Mount Fuji looms in the distance. There are five of them - generally an auspicious number.
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10466 (1000-466 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 10% off: ¥3240 (approx. US$40.00 €31.46 £25.92)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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A pair of white tigers - one placid, one baring teeth. Although these are realistic representations of the real animal, we are also expected to think of the Chinese guardian of the western celestial direction, that is, one of the four gods. In this guise, the white tiger has been revered from ancient times as a bringer of good fortune.
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
Mystery... The three puzzles we have (as of April 2006) all have different copyright declarations: her name written in Japanese, "Row.E.Ogasawara" and "Row. V. Ogasawara" - the pictures in these latter two cases include a signature "Row." which might be a nickname. She writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it might also be rendered as 'Yetsuko', though this hardly explains the 'V'.
This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle. In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10356 (1000-356 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 10% off: ¥3240 (approx. US$40.00 €31.46 £25.92)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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A very traditional composition: in front of an auspicious red Fuji, a pair of cranes symbolise fidelity, watched by a pair of turtles, emblems of longevity. The picture is completed by the trio of pine, bamboo, and plum blossom, or shô-chiku-bai (standard labels for the best three selections at a sushi restaurant).
The style is an interesting blend of detail in the foreground features with an impressionistic setting of mist over the lake.
Few biographical details are available, but Ogasawara has worked as a background artist for anime production, and specialises in animal portraits. Her acclaimed painting of a pair of white tigers has also featured on a jigsaw puzzle.
She does not seem to sign her paintings; she writes her given name, Etsuko, with the old form of hiragana 'e', so it may also be rendered as 'Yetsuko'.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10433 (1000-433 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 10% off: ¥3240 (approx. US$40.00 €31.46 £25.92)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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A portrayal of the famous weeping cherry in Miharu, in northern Japan. This enormous tree is said to be at least 1000 years old. The town of Miharu (lit. "three springs") is said to be derived from the local simultaneous blossoming of plum, peach, and cherry trees.
Chinami's painting makes a gorgeous work of art, and as a puzzle it presents a formidable challenge.
Born in 1945 in Nagano, in the mountains of central Japan, Nakajima Chinami is a successful painter and illustrator.
He signs his paintings with his given (brush?) name Chinami, sometimes together with a fanciful seal - perhaps representing his whole name, which could be poetically rendered "Middle-island of the thousand waves."
This puzzle is cut to make pieces harder to find. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: E11312 (11-312 on box)
Normally ¥3000 - special offer 5% off: ¥2850 (approx. US$35.19 €27.67 £22.80)
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© S Watanabe Color Print
A boatman emerges against the setting sun under the arch of this iconic bridge, seen through the cherry trees planted on the river bank. The print was made in 1947.
The bridge consists of five wooden arches: at the time it was originally built (1673), wheeled transport was almost unknown in Japan, and there was therefore no need of a level roadway. It seems unlikely that this design would have been used in Europe at that time.
Watase Hasui (1883-1957) was one of the major artists involved in the revival of woodblock printing in the early twentieth century. He brings a fresh subtlety of expression to this traditional craft.
Apart from a brief period in Shiobara, northern Tochigi, he appears to have lived his whole life in Tokyo, but specialised in landcapes, drawn from his travels across Japan.
In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 49 x 72 cm (19" x 28")
Code: B61297 (61-297 on box)
Normally ¥3000 - special offer 5% off: ¥2850 (approx. US$35.19 €27.67 £22.80)
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© Studio Morita / Studio Oz Inc
A courtesan shows off her opulent kimono, among equally luxuriant surroundings—falling cherry blossom, and a crescent moon.
Haruyo has added an inscription by her signature: "A smile for you..."
The artist Morita Haruyo studied both Japanese art and kimono design, and she combines these with elements of her own Western-influenced technique. (She travelled to London in 1977, exactly the year I [Brian Chandler] first came to Tokyo.)
Morita is her family name: she follows the tradition of signing - and sealing - paintings with her given name only.
This puzzle is cut to make pieces harder to find. In stock
An Epoch puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: E11322 (11-322 on box)
Normally ¥3000 - special offer 5% off: ¥2850 (approx. US$35.19 €27.67 £22.80)
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Kagaya here portrays Kaguyahime ("Princess of the shining night") against a background of cherry blossom, though which we see a huge full moon. The "spring moon" of the title refers to oborozuki, a romantic motif in both art and song: which we can best translate as "the (spring) moon, shrouded in haze".
The story of which she is heroine, the "Bamboo cutter's tale", dates back a thousand years, to the great cultural flowering that was the Heian period. In the story, she was found as a tiny baby inside a bamboo trunk.
As we see, a beauty of that time wore her eyebrows high, and her hair exceedingly long. She also spared no expense on her kimono.
Good articles at Wikipedia:
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter -
Heian period
The painter Ozuma Kaname was born in 1939, in Niigata. He studied traditional Japanese art, and his pictures are generally based on traditional themes.
Ozuma is his family name: he signs paintings with the single character of his given name only.
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A Yanoman puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: Y101108 (10-1108 on box)
Normally ¥3000 - special offer 5% off: ¥2850 (approx. US$35.19 €27.67 £22.80)
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© Ozuma Kaname
A demure beauty poses below a weeping cherry in full flower.
The painter Ozuma Kaname was born in 1939, in Niigata. He studied traditional Japanese art, and his pictures are generally based on traditional themes.
Ozuma is his family name: he signs paintings with the single character of his given name only.
In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 50 x 75 cm (20" x 30")
Code: A10325 (1000-325 on box)
Normally ¥3600 - special offer 5% off: ¥3420 (approx. US$42.22 €33.20 £27.36)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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A contemporary-looking young woman in traditional attire walks among the scattering cherry petals, accompanied by a bevy of ducks. With the long-sleeved kimono, she might be just fresh from a university graduation ceremony.
Born in Hiroshima in 1972, the artist developed his talent for original art while working as a graphic artist for a game company. He is now an independent creator of fantasy works.
Mizoguchi is his family name; he signs his work "Shu", the short form of his given name (Shuichi). On the box his name is given as "SHU Mizoguchi", somewhat confusingly, given the recent trend to writing the family name first capitalized.
This is a glow-in-the-dark puzzle. In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10484 (1000-484 on box)
Normally ¥3900 - special offer 5% off: ¥3705 (approx. US$45.74 €35.97 £29.64)
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Two white tigers with peaceful yet determined expressions. In the foreground cherry blossom, and in the background Mount Fuji by the glowing moon. Although this is a fantasy composition, the elements are traditional, as is the artist's title, referring to Fuji as reihō, the "Spiritual peak."
Shingo Saotome is a self-taught artist, who loves to paint the natural world in acrylics. He has been active both in Japan and in Florida since 1993.
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A Beverly puzzle: 1000 pieces; 72 x 49 cm (28" x 19")
Code: B51102 (51-102 on box)
Normally ¥2800 - special offer 5% off: ¥2660 (approx. US$32.84 €25.83 £21.28)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$14.81 €11.65 £9.60)
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