Since its inception in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has left an indelible mark on the pop culture scene — to such a degree that it even has a commemorative day to call its own. Taking place on 4 May (dubbed “May the Fourth”) every year, it acts as a wordplay on the catchphrase “May the Force be with you”, but is far from the only celebratory affair for fans.
Enter Star Wars Celebration, a large convention that embraces a shared love for the long-running sci-fi franchise. Held annually, barring a few exceptions, it brings the excitement to varying locations around the world, with the 2025 iteration making its way to Japan. It’s nothing short of apt that it will feature badge art designs in the style of ukiyo-e, a tradition of Japanese art that thrived in the 17th to 19th centuries.
As unveiled by the official Star Wars website, the illustrations are done by Japanese artist TAKUMI, who has created official promotional art for Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder and The Mandalorian Season 3. The first wave of designs features Darth Vader, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and The Mandalorian and Grogu, revealing five out of 17 designs.
Explaining the connection between Japanese culture and Star Wars,” he explained, “When I was working on the badge art, I spent a lot of time revisiting the characteristics and backgrounds of each character, thinking about how to adapt their narrative into the ukiyo-e. I looked back at the stories depicted in the masterpieces by ukiyo-e artists of the past, analysing the motifs and elements woven into their compositions, and thought about which characters’ narratives would best fit with those themes. The research continued until I found the right theme for each character.”
TAKUMI continued, “Another key element was reimagining the characters’ costumes and weapons with a Japanese influence. This process required blending them with aspects of traditional Japanese clothing, decorations, armour, and weaponry, and determining the right level of modification. It was a challenging task, but once the ideal style was achieved, it was immensely rewarding.”
It’s no secret that the franchise was largely inspired by the works of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa — 1958’s The Hidden Fortress in particular — which makes the artistic blend a nice homage to its roots.
Star Wars Celebration Japan will run from 18 to 20 April 2025 in Makuhari Messe, located in Chiba Prefecture just outside of Tokyo, with tickets currently on sale.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Natalie
