In Peach Boy (2016) Gajin Fujita draws his primary inspiration from Toyohara Kunichika, a Japanese woodblock print artist. Kunichika is one of Gajin’s favorite artists and is known for depicting theatre actors. 

The particular woodblock print Gajin is referencing is a scene from “ami moyo toro no kiku kiri.” Gajin selected this image because the samurai has a monkey cape/hoodie and 2016 is the Chinese year of the monkey. 

Peach boy is a famous tale in Japanese cartoons. In Japanese he is called Momotarou, Momo (peach) Taro (kid). He was a boy that was born out of of a big peach and was known for his heroic feats helping the less fortunate. Gajin’s palette is also based on the original print and the samurai’s clothing incorporates the Chinese character for peach, which may be found in the hexagonal design. A small and intriguing detail is the mark depicted on the inside of the Monkey’s cape (bottom left) where there is a reference to the Ben Davis gorilla logo. A small reference to L.A. sub culture, Ben Davis clothing is a line worn by gang members.

IMAGE: Gajin Fujita, Peach Boy, 2016, spray paint, mean streak, paint markers, 12k & 24k gold leaf on wood panel, 24 x 16 in. (61 x 40.6 cm)