JOMON Soft Vinyl Series Heart Spirit "Aiwa"

■JOMON Soft Vinyl Series Heart Spirit "Aiwa"

We are pleased to announce that we will be launching a soft vinyl manufacturer called "let it be" under the supervision of soft vinyl shop 70's Seventies in Hiroshima city.

As our first step, we will begin accepting orders for the "JOMON Soft Vinyl Series: Heart Spirit Aiwa."

JOMON Soft Vinyl Series Heart Spirit "Aiwa" Details Page

Size: Total height: approx. 16cm
Luminous soft vinyl doll ©Yoshiyuki Izuoka

■ The story of Aiwa told by the original girl

• Aiwa doesn't fight with anyone.
• Each and every one of us has an Aiwa with us from the moment we are born. We were born with Aiwa and spend our lives with Aiwa.
• Modern people have such a clouded mind that they can't see Aiwa or hear Aiwa's voice.
• It can be seen by people with pure hearts.
• Even though we cannot see them, they have been by our side and helping us since the moment we were born.
• When you are in trouble, she will be there for you and heal you with the power of love. (It is thanks to the power of Aiwa that people can recover from sadness.)
• She uses Aiwa's heart ray on the bad guys to turn their hearts into kindness, and that's how she protects the people.
• He never defeats anyone and never gets angry. When an enemy approaches, he stares at them and emits a heart ray, turning them into gentle spirits.
• It heals people by emitting rays of light (heart rays) from its entire heart-shaped face.

■About the JOMON Soft Vinyl Series

The JOMON Soft Vinyl Series was born from a unique concept that combines Jomon clay figurines with soft vinyl dolls.

 In modern society, we are so focused on efficiency that we tend to forget about harmony with nature.

As digitalization advances and people continue to seek efficiency, distortions are emerging everywhere, leaving many people feeling cramped.

 The people of the Jomon period respected nature, believed that spirits resided there, and believed that all people are connected. I believe that we who live in modern society also need to have a perspective that values ​​such "spiritual richness" and "connections between people."

The numerous clay figurines left behind by the Jomon people may have expressed their reverence for nature and their feelings for spirits. We modern people tend to forget the sensitivities of these ancient people.

 If we stop and think, perhaps we can discover something new? The JOMON soft vinyl series was born from this motif: "living in modern society, respecting nature and valuing the sensibilities of ancient people."

 We hope that this series will inspire people to regain the connection with nature and spiritual richness that we often lose.

About letitbe

Dye artist Yoshiyuki Izuoka, who strongly sympathized with BULLMARK's philosophy of "nurturing children's dreams" and "listening to the voiceless," started the project with the belief of "supporting people to be who they are."

The artwork is based on drawings, doodles, sketches, etc., made by children who cannot go to school for some reason or who need support, and is turned into sculptures and three-dimensional objects.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the soft vinyl figures is returned to the original creator, creating a model whereby users can indirectly support and encourage those in need by purchasing the soft vinyl figures .

About letitbe CEO Yoshiyuki Izuoka

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Born in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1970. After graduating from Hiroshima Prefectural Kannon High School in 1989, he aspired to enter an art college but gave up due to color vision deficiency. In 1995, he studied under MD. SALLEH BIN DAWAM, a world-renowned batik artist whose work is also in the collection of the National Museum of Malaysia.

When dyeing silk fabric, he captures the dynamics of color and shadows for an instant, establishing a unique dyeing painting technique that expresses the "border" between another world and the real world beyond realism. He has held solo exhibitions both in Japan and overseas, and his works are included in public collections in hotels, hospitals, municipal art museums, UNESCO, department stores, and other locations.

In 2023, she participated in Let It Be's "LET IT BE" project, which turns children's doodles into soft vinyl dolls. She is passionate about creating soft vinyl dolls that give shape to the voiceless voices of children and nurture their dreams.

■Message from Yoshiyuki Izuoka

A strong empathy with BULLMARK's philosophy of "nurturing children's dreams and listening to the voiceless" is the driving force behind the toy manufacturer Let It Be.

However, due to rising prices of raw materials, labor costs, and many other things, soft vinyl dolls are no longer just toys for children.

In addition, children's interest is turning to smartphones and computer games, making it difficult for them to allocate their limited pocket money to soft vinyl toys.

Just as children of the Showa era nurtured their dreams and emotions with tin and soft vinyl toys, we wanted to give children of the Reiwa era a way to express their innermost cries.

This idea led to the "letitbe" project, which turns children's doodles into soft vinyl dolls.

Children's drawings and doodles are not just pictures, but the cries from each individual's heart, their passion, their life itself - the "voices" of children.

With this in mind, I launched this project in collaboration with various parties under the supervision of Seventies.

The first release we chose was Aiwa, the spirit of the heart, based on the motif of a heart-shaped clay figurine.

We thought that by making them soft vinyl figures rather than one-of-a-kind clay sculptures, the "voiceless voices" of children would be able to reach more people.

It also helps to nurture the dream of one's own art becoming a product and a toy that brings joy to many people.

On June 23rd, we are planning to hold a presentation ceremony at the Seventies store where a portion of the sales will be donated.

Due to the current difficult situation, such as rising raw material costs, it may be difficult for children to get their hands on Let It Be soft vinyl toys directly.

However, we hope that by adults purchasing this book and supporting children, in order to "listen to the voices" and "nurture the dreams" of the children who will represent the future, it will become a tool to nurture children's dreams.

■From the 70's store manager

Hiroshima-based soft vinyl shop 70's Seventies has recently partnered with soft vinyl manufacturer letitbe to launch a joint project.

As the first step, we supervised and supported the sales of the "JOMON Soft Vinyl Series: Heart Spirit Aiwa."

70's Seventies and letitbe will continue to promote the project under the common philosophy of "nurturing children's dreams and listening to the voiceless." We hope to be able to share the rich sensibility and creativity of children with everyone.