Yuriko Yamawaki: The Illustrator Who Sparked My Imagination—Then and Now
Yuriko Yamawaki’s illustrations lit up my childhood—and still inspire me today. Her joyful characters feel human, lovable, and unforgettable.
Today, I want to introduce one of my creative heroes: Yuriko Yamawaki(1941-2022), a beloved children's book illustrator.
She is best known for illustrating Guri and Gura, a picture book series that almost every Japanese child grows up reading. The stories are written by her older sister, Rieko Nakagawa, and Yuriko’s fun, adorable illustrations bring them to life.
I absolutely loved the Guri and Gura series as a kid. My mom used to read them to me all the time. Even as an adult, I still love looking at her illustrations.
One of my favorite Guri and Gura items is the karuta (a traditional Japanese card game) based on the series. I played it a lot with my family when I was little, and I still remember some of the reading cards by heart!
Yamawaki’s illustrations are filled with animals, but they’re not just ordinary animals—they wear clothes, act like humans, and have incredibly expressive faces. I love how they show all kinds of emotions, from joy to sadness to moments of pure silliness. That mix of cute and funny makes her illustrations so charming.
In an interview, she once mentioned that when she first illustrated Guri and Gura, she actually went to the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo, to observe real mouse specimens! Since the books were illustrated in the 1960s, she didn’t have the convenience of looking up reference photos or videos on the internet like we do today. Knowing that she put in that effort to create something both realistic yet fantastical makes me appreciate her art even more.
Even now, I still play the Guri and Gura karuta with my family. It’s filled with childhood memories and inspiration for my own creative work—playing with it always brings me so much joy!