Ghost in the Shell Becomes Gold Leaf Art in UMAA's Limited Edition Folding Screens

Cyberpunk imagery comes to a traditional Japanese screen

Ghost in the Shell is moving from manga pages and cinema screens onto Japanese folding screens priced at 1,100,000 yen each, approximately $7,190. Tokyo creative company UMAA has announced two designs featuring Major Motoko Kusanagi, with gold foil and pressed tin versions bringing the science fiction franchise into a traditional decorative art form.

The collection is scheduled to go on sale exclusively at Ghost in the Shell: The Exhibition, which begins on January 30, 2026, at Tokyo Node in the Toranomon Hills complex. Each screen will carry an individual serial number, and production will be limited.

Called TechnoByobu, the series combines foil craftsmanship with digital image reproduction. Its Ghost in the Shell designs draw from two different stages of the franchise: Masamune Shirow's original manga, which began in 1989, and Mamoru Oshii's animated film released in 1995.

The objects are substantial pieces for a room, rather than small display collectibles. Each measures approximately 1,500 millimetres tall and 1,400 millimetres wide, roughly 59 by 55 inches, while weighing about four kilograms, or 8.8 pounds. The product information describes their size using the traditional Japanese measurement of five shaku.

UMAA's project brings together imagery about bodies, machines and identity with a craft tradition associated with painted landscapes, ceremonial spaces and displays of wealth. It is the second TechnoByobu collection, following a release based on Yellow Magic Orchestra album artwork, and continues the company's effort to reinterpret influential Japanese popular culture through traditional materials.

For buyers, the appeal rests on that combination: recognisable Ghost in the Shell images, a large physical presence and a reflective surface whose appearance changes with the light.

Two designs connect the manga and the film

Konpaku, meaning soul, features Major Motoko Kusanagi perched on her Fuchikoma mecha pod. The illustration was originally drawn by Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow, placing the design firmly within the visual world of the manga.

Shirow's series first appeared in 1989 and became an influential work of science fiction manga. Choosing his illustration gives the screen a direct connection to the franchise's beginnings, rather than an image created specifically for this collection.

Gitai, meaning prosthetic body, draws on the 1995 animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii. It depicts the Major with a web of wires attached to her cybernetic shell, an image that reflects the film's interest in the connection between humans and machines.

The two designs approach the same character through different visual histories. Konpaku brings forward the original manga's aesthetic, while Gitai recalls the film that introduced Ghost in the Shell to a much wider international audience.

Both designs are available in two material variations, giving collectors four options in total. The materials are described as Western gold foil paper with large scattered foil and tin foil paper with a flat press finish. Each produces a different reflective effect.

The names also connect with the story's central concerns. Soul and prosthetic body point to the relationship between a person's identity and the manufactured body through which that person acts, a recurring subject in Ghost in the Shell.

What TechnoByobu means

UMAA uses TechnoByobu to describe a meeting of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary visual culture. Byobu is the Japanese term for folding screens, while the company gives techno a meaning that reaches beyond electronic devices or a musical style.

UMAA's official concept description explains the origin of the name:

The 'Techno' in TechnoByobu originates from the Greek word 'téchne' meaning 'art, technique, skill.' It encompasses technology, craftsmanship, and futuristic sensibility,

The Ghost in the Shell collection puts those ideas into a physical object. Digital imagery supplies the composition, a specialised transfer process reproduces it, and traditional foil materials give the finished screen its texture and response to light.

The project uses techniques with a heritage extending more than 500 years. Its purpose is to transform contemporary images through those methods while retaining the qualities of the original artwork. The result combines the precision needed to reproduce familiar illustrations with the surface effects of traditional decorative craft.

How foil and pigment create the finished surface

Rekiseisha, a company founded in 1905, supplies the foil craftsmanship. It developed foil pressed paper using Western gold foil, an invention valued internationally within Japanese decorative arts.

The Ghost in the Shell screens use a process called Kasane Graphica Multi-Layered Pigment Transfer Technique. In practical terms, this allows digital artwork to be reproduced precisely on traditional materials, bringing modern image production into the construction of a folding screen.

Western gold foil paper and tin foil paper provide different foundations for the images. The scattered gold foil and flat pressed tin surfaces reflect light differently, so the material choice affects how a design appears when displayed.

Production involves more than 500 individual pieces of foil, carefully arranged to recreate the intricate details of the Ghost in the Shell artwork. That physical assembly adds depth and texture beyond the appearance of an ordinary digital print.

UMAA combines the foil techniques with modern archival pigment printing, presented as a way to preserve the vivid appearance of the artwork for generations. Archival printing here refers to the use of printing methods intended to keep an image suitable for long term display and preservation.

The four kilogram weight also matters for an object of this size. At approximately 1.5 metres tall and 1.4 metres wide, each screen has the presence of a substantial furnishing while remaining relatively manageable to move and display.

Why a folding screen changes the presentation

Byobu have been part of Japanese interiors and artistic expression for more than a thousand years. They developed from Chinese folding screens and acquired distinctly Japanese forms and uses.

Traditional screens served as room dividers, backgrounds for tea ceremonies and displays of status and wealth. A typical byobu has between two and eight panels connected by cords or hinges, allowing it to be arranged in different configurations to suit a space.

Japanese artists have used these surfaces to depict nature, mythology, literature and everyday life. A screen therefore has a double role: it helps organise a room and provides a broad surface for art.

Gold leaf became particularly popular on byobu during the Momoyama period, from 1573 to 1615. Its surface shimmered in candlelight, while the precious appearance reflected the wealth and power of the owner.

Putting Ghost in the Shell on such a surface changes the way its imagery occupies a room. Kusanagi's cybernetic world takes the place of subjects traditionally associated with painted screens, while the foil retains a visual connection to Japan's decorative arts.

The combination also gives the artwork a different relationship with lighting. Rather than relying entirely on printed colour, the screen uses a reflective material as part of the image's appearance, linking a futuristic subject to a longstanding way of displaying art.

The story behind Kusanagi's mechanical body

Masamune Shirow created Ghost in the Shell as a science fiction manga, serialised from 1989. Its central character, Major Motoko Kusanagi, is a full body cyborg who leads Public Security Section 9, an organisation confronting cyberterrorism in a futuristic Japan.

People in this setting can replace parts of their bodies with cybernetic technology. Kusanagi's manufactured body makes the relationship between a person's physical form and inner identity a central part of the story.

The official product information describes the franchise and the character chosen for the screens:

"The Ghost in the Shell" is a science fiction manga by Masamune Shirow, serialized since 1989. It depicts Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body cyborg leading "Public Security Section 9," confronting complex crimes and exploring themes of human-technology fusion and identity

The series explores consciousness, identity and the relationship between humanity and technology. Put simply, it asks what makes someone themselves when much of their body can be replaced by machinery.

Oshii's 1995 animated adaptation brought the franchise international attention and directly influenced Hollywood productions, most prominently The Matrix. Ghost in the Shell subsequently expanded into multiple films, television series, novels and video games, continuing to examine human integration with machines and the nature of the self in a digital world.

Those concerns give the screen designs a connection beyond their shared character. Konpaku names the soul; Gitai names the prosthetic body. Together, they turn two of the franchise's central ideas into the organising choices of the collection.

A luxury collectible with a specific sales venue

Each Ghost in the Shell TechnoByobu costs 1,100,000 yen, approximately $7,190. The price reflects the materials and craftsmanship involved and places the collection alongside luxury artworks rather than ordinary anime merchandise.

Production will be limited, and each piece will have a unique serial number intended to support authenticity and collectibility. An exact edition size has not been given, so prospective buyers do not yet know how many screens will be produced.

The limited quantity may appeal to serious collectors and investors as well as Ghost in the Shell fans. The screens are conceived as substantial artworks that can become the centrepiece of a collection, rather than merchandise produced in large quantities.

Sales will be exclusive to Ghost in the Shell: The Exhibition at Tokyo Node, inside Tokyo's Toranomon Hills complex, beginning on January 30, 2026. Buyers will therefore need to follow the exhibition's purchasing arrangements instead of looking for the screens at typical anime merchandise retailers.

Interested customers are encouraged to register through the customer service form on the official TechnoByobu website. Registered customers will receive priority information about availability and purchasing details, giving them a way to follow the release before the exhibition opens.

From Shanghai preview to Tokyo release

The first prototype in the Ghost in the Shell TechnoByobu series was unveiled at Design Shanghai 2025 in Shanghai, China, in June 2025. That presentation put the project before an international design audience ahead of its planned Japanese sales debut.

The choice of a design fair suggests that UMAA is positioning the collection for art collectors and design enthusiasts beyond Japan's anime audience. The screens are being presented as design objects as well as pieces associated with an established entertainment franchise.

The collection's chronology connects the manga and film with the development of the physical artwork:

• 1989: Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga began serialisation.
• 1995: Mamoru Oshii's animated film brought the franchise wider international attention.
• June 2025: The first Ghost in the Shell TechnoByobu prototype appeared at Design Shanghai 2025.
• December 29, 2025: The collection's announced plans placed its sales debut at the forthcoming Tokyo exhibition.
• January 30, 2026: Ghost in the Shell: The Exhibition is scheduled to begin at Tokyo Node, where the screens will be offered exclusively.

The Shanghai presentation and Tokyo release give the project two different settings: an international design event for its prototype and an exhibition dedicated to the franchise for its sale. Together, they connect the screens' craft and design ambitions with the audience that knows their imagery.

Anime imagery enters a different collecting market

The Ghost in the Shell screens reflect a wider movement of anime and manga imagery into fine art settings. Major museums around the world have hosted anime and manga exhibitions, and work by prominent anime creators has appeared alongside traditional fine art in prestigious galleries.

UMAA's approach goes beyond reproducing an anime image on canvas. The folding screen format, foil surface and established craft techniques become part of the object, giving the familiar illustrations a different physical and cultural setting.

Traditional Japanese craft and contemporary anime share an attention to detail, technical skill and visual impact in this project. Their combination connects Japan's artistic heritage with one of its modern cultural exports without replacing either element.

The price also points toward a different collecting audience. Posters, keychains and figurines remain popular forms of anime merchandise, while costly collectibles intended for lasting display occupy a market between merchandise and art.

These screens may appeal to people who collect Japanese crafts, contemporary art or design objects, as well as fans of Ghost in the Shell. Their size and materials help explain that broader positioning: they are intended to function as a major visual presence within a collection or room.

UMAA builds on its Yellow Magic Orchestra project

Ghost in the Shell is the second instalment of TechnoByobu. The earlier release, TB-01: Electronic Fan Girl, featured Yellow Magic Orchestra album artwork, establishing the series' practice of translating influential Japanese popular culture into folding screens.

The company behind the project is U/M/A/A Inc., short for United Music And Arts. It is a record company founded by someone who previously worked at Alfa Records, and its stated mission is to unite music and art.

U/M/A/A's own description connects that identity to Yellow Magic Orchestra's approach to electronic music:

inherit the progressive spirit of YMO's techno-pop,

The first two collections share a focus on Japanese cultural works with international influence. Yellow Magic Orchestra supplies the musical connection, while Ghost in the Shell brings imagery from manga and animation that has travelled across media and national borders.

The sequence suggests scope for further collaborations with other Japanese visual works, although the collection described here centres on these two releases. Future projects may continue the focus on cultural products that challenged conventions.

TechnoByobu also gives traditional techniques a contemporary application. Applying foil craftsmanship to digital imagery creates a use for those skills beyond their familiar subjects, at a time when traditional crafts face challenges in finding new applications.

For the Ghost in the Shell collection, that idea takes a concrete form: two established images, four material and design combinations, and a limited series of large folding screens. The next scheduled step is their exclusive offering at the Tokyo exhibition beginning on January 30, 2026.

Key Points

• Tokyo company UMAA has announced limited edition Ghost in the Shell folding screens in its TechnoByobu series.
• Konpaku uses Masamune Shirow's illustration of Motoko Kusanagi on a Fuchikoma; Gitai draws on Mamoru Oshii's 1995 film.
• Two material versions of each design create four options using Western gold foil paper or pressed tin foil paper.
• Each screen measures approximately 1,500 by 1,400 millimetres and weighs about four kilograms.
• Production combines traditional foil craftsmanship, more than 500 pieces of foil and the Kasane Graphica Multi-Layered Pigment Transfer Technique.
• The price is 1,100,000 yen, approximately $7,190, with limited production and individual serial numbers.
• The first prototype appeared at Design Shanghai in June 2025.
• Sales are planned exclusively for Ghost in the Shell: The Exhibition at Tokyo Node, beginning January 30, 2026.
• The release follows TB-01: Electronic Fan Girl, featuring Yellow Magic Orchestra album artwork.