Saashi

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Board game designer. Saashi is involved in the design of every game under his label—not only his self-published titles, but also the games he licenses to international publishers. An avid designer in school for fun, Saashi fell back into design 15 years later, after encountering a modern Eurogame in the early 2000s. At first, he started designing games to play with his wife, Takako Takarai, and soon began his publishing and sales journey with the establishment of Saashi & Saashi in 2015, designing a board game that had the feel of a modern Eurogame. In February 2022, he turned Saashi & Saashi into SAASHI-AND INC., becoming its CEO and president. With a love of freshly roasted black coffee and reading, Saashi has often spent time in his local independent coffee shop, letting his ideas pour onto paper. Most of his designs begin as ideas jotted down on a legal pad that he rearranges and polishes, sometimes over a second cup of coffee.

Takako Takarai

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Illustrator, graphic designer. Co-owner of SAASHI-AND INC., and the first to playtest all games published under her label. One of Saashi & Saashi most striking charms is Takako Takarai’s characteristic illustrative touch. Her style is so integral that it’s not uncommon for the theme of a new game to be completely changed to make the best use of her distinctive drawings. Every one of her illustrations starts as a hand-drawn piece. It is only after multiple tracings, arrangements, and scrupulous compositions that the final drawing is complete. Takako Takarai’s beautiful detail extends to Saashi & Saashi’s tote bags and game pouches, brought to life by her hand.