The Destruction of Tokyo - Artist Hisaharu Motoda
 

Hisaharu Motoda is a contemporary Japanese artist who creates images of Tokyo in ruins. His prints of Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, and other areas of Tokyo look like faded old photographs of the city in a future where Tokyo's buildings have crumbled, cars have rotted away, and everything lies dead or dying.

The artist imagines a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, and then creates it in his art. Here are some of the images. More are available at his official website.

Official Artist Site: Japanese Artist Hisaharu Motoda. Also, some info on the PinkTentacle blog.

These images are of Shibuya, Ginza, Kabukicho, Ameyoko.

Are they sketched?
They look so real

Yeah, I remember watching, I think was a 6-part documentary on this artist or a similar artist, don't remem if its the same guy. Anyway there was no images taken or that survived the aftermath of WWII, so this artist who lived through and witness the events himself is drawing everything he saw to document it for their history!

I'm sure if search some torrent sites the videos should still be out there! They are a must see, but be warned that if u have such a love for japan as I do, the videos are major tearjerker!


EDIT: hmmm, don't think this is the same guy afterall, but anyway....should still watch what I mentioned above!

gees, I love them, not saying I like the subject.....but they are interesting, and very intricate....I love the style......they really do look like photo's....

Jeez... they are so incredibly cool... how the heck did he do that?

Tokyo looked nothing like that before or after WWII. The picture of Shibuya really gives it away with the Samsung billboard. I think this is creative rendition based off of current photos. I'll get a good pic of Shibuya, you'll see what I am talking about. I'll even try to find the right angle for you.

I just went to his site too, and he has one of Tokyo Tower. Roppongi didn't even exist until after the war.

Damn, this is slightly terrifying.

WOOOOOOOOW, that's niceeee!

the third one looks like a red light district xD

Just amazing!!!

Thanks for introducing us to Hisaharu Motoda's work. Amazingly intricate stuff. Tokyo was pretty much a wooden city up until its destruction in WWII.

I live in Hiroshima and I looking at those pictures I started to think - what if an artist made a whole series of pictures of today's Hiroshima in a state of decay and destruction like that? Wouldn't that be awesome? What do you think? It would shock a lot of people - but might also make them see the city in a new light...

Awesome even tough it portraits the destruction of something beautiful like Tokyo.

2005 october?

o0O'

anyway, so cool pics, I can't comment.

Very nice, I like that!

Wow that's awsome! Reminds me of Berlin on its post-war days.

Those are really cool... I think whoever made them is awesome...

yeah, thats awesome!!

Did we just nuke Japan again?

So amazing! That´s art!

Those pictures are very disturbing since I love Japan so much.

Scary... 0_0