Nintendo has embarked upon various promotional activities for the 30th Anniversary of the Super Mario franchise, and this example from Japan is certainly one of the most appealing yet.

It's a collaboration with the artist Taro Yamamoto, who is a skilled painter in the Rimpa style, a traditional approach that has been celebrating 400 years over the past few years. It typically focuses on bold colours, particularly gold and silver; in this collaboration Mario and Luigi are worked into a re-imagining of "Fujin Raijin-zu Byobu", which is a folding screen portraying Raijin (Thunder God) and Fujin (Wind God). The effect is impressive.

You can see a video focused around its creation below - let us know what you think.

[source nintendo.co.jp, via ajw.asahi.com]