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Takashi Murakami returns to blockchain: launches 108 Flowers Revised NFT on Base
Takashi Murakami, the acclaimed Japanese contemporary artist, returns to the NFT (Non‑Fungible Token) space with “108 Flowers Revised NFT,” reimagined as digital trading cards that can be minted and revealed on Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network. The new project extends his signature pixelated flower motif, drawing on 1970s Japanese video games and the Buddhist notion of bonnō—earthly desires.
Each pack contains five cards with varying rarities. Minting was available via the Kaikai Kiki Marketplace through August 8, 2025, with payment by credit card or Base-native cryptocurrency for convenience.
Minting and collector participation
Minting was straightforward: download the Base app (baseapp), select 108 Flowers Revised NFT, pay 0.0014 ETH per pack (or by credit card), and instantly reveal five cards per pack. Minting has now closed, with a final total of 19,508 packs.
Artist’s motivation and perspective
Murakami says returning to NFTs reflects multiple meanings of making art: pushing at the frontier of the times to set new standards of value, and engaging in a deep exchange with society’s collective consciousness. Within the blockchain context, he is exploring the relationship between shared value and beauty—even if that pursuit may seem quixotic today.
This time, he also experimented with AI, animating illustrations of himself and his beloved late dog, POM, as playful guides—complete with English voiceovers.
Murakami’s NFT growing pains
Fate or not, NFTs remain a tricky terrain for Murakami. The 108 Flowers Revised NFT launch faced issues ranging from a near‑failure of the credit‑card payment gateway and the shutdown of a third‑party service to an unexpected trading halt, plus cases where users couldn’t open packs. Murakami publicly apologized on social channels and pledged improvements—echoing the technical hiccups from his 2022 Murakami.Flowers NFT release on OpenSea.
He also clarified a misunderstanding after noting that “hardly any artists are making NFTs anymore.” He explained he was referring to artists of his own generation rooted in the traditional contemporary art market, and expressed respect for newer artists and the NFT-native community that continues to thrive (meanwhile, performance-art icon Marina Abramović also recently launched an NFT).
Key details: 108 Flowers Revised NFT by Takashi Murakami
Platform: Kaikai Kiki Marketplace
Network: Base (Ethereum Layer 2)
Price: 0.0014 ETH per pack (approximately USD 5 at the time of writing)
Cards per pack: 5 (multiple rarity tiers)
Story: Tae Art Man
Images courtesy of: takashipom
