When Japan opened up to the outside world after 200 years of reclusion, the West responded with wild enthusiasm: The craze of "Japonisme" brought a whole new aesthetic to the arts. Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints presented painters with entirely new color schemes and compositions just as they were abandoning artistic traditions. Vincent van Gogh was particularly fascinated with Japanese art, often purchasing prints instead of food.

Some of these images feature a vertical block (it's called a cartouche) with letters intended to represent my name. Japanese speakers have informed me that the actual message is nonsense. That's what I get for trying to show off.