Antwan Horfee Revisits Japanese Ephemera in New Book 'Menko Toys'
Parisian artistAntwan Horfeereturns to the world of Japanese throwing cards withMenko Toys, a richly layered sequel to his 2019 titleMenko Boys. This new 288-page volume deepens Horfee's anthropological exploration of Menko — vividly illustrated cardboard cards once used by Japanese children in street games but now treasured as cultural artifacts. As writer Peter Lyle once described them, Menko are 'talismanic throwing cards' that reflect shifting currents in 20th-century Japanese society.
The book, presented with Swiss binding and printed on Munken white paper, is a tactile object as much as a visual archive. It features English and Japanese texts by Horfee, Nick Schonberger, Ataru Sato, Risa Hiratsuka and others, with design by Jean Granon and photography by Ghislain Mirat. Ten hand-drawn copies signed and illustrated by Horfee himself are also available.
Menko Toysis more than a collection; it invites interpretation, treating each card as a micro-narrative of nostalgia, consumer culture and personal memory. The book is available for order now viaTopsafe'sofficial site, with standard and limited-edition versions available.
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