Now in stock at the American Pokémon Center shop are a pair of beautiful, handcrafted woodblock prints. For fans of the traditional Japanese art style ukiyo-e, these Pokémon-themed pieces are an easy sell — except for the fact that picking up the set will put you back $900.
The price makes sense when considering just how these prints are made. The Pokémon Company broke down the process in its news release about the new items.
“An artist draws the image, which a sculptor painstakingly carves into a series of wooden boards (one for each color of ink used), and is finished with a printer using those boards to create a layered print matching the original art,” according to the company. “The result is a remarkable woodblock print in full color.”
That certainly describes these works, each one inspired both by a classic ukiyo-e and some first-generation Pokémon. “Port of Vermillion City” mashes up one work with around two dozen Pokémon, ranging from Pikachu to Charizard.
The second, “Silence Bridge,” is inspired by a piece that in turn references a 12th-century samurai battle. It’s got Pikachu and Snorlax squaring off, turning the original centerpiece fight into another memorable duel.
These are online exclusives, so Pokémon fans can pick them up through the Pokémon Center. At $450 each, the woodblock prints are the most expensive items that the store has to offer. They’d look really nice in our living rooms, and we’ve got a birthday coming up — just saying.