Jolly pictures on traditional themes by Hajime Okamoto

Born in Osaka in 1942, Hajime Okamoto is an artist with a distinctive and very jolly style, who specialises in cats — particularly the beckoning bringers of good fortune. As part of a cultural exchange programme, in 1986 he spent time in Jilin, north-east China, studying seal-making and calligraphy.

He signs his paintings with a seal, and a stylised form of his name in Roman letters (with his family name last).