The black, white, red and circular design constants are very nicely played: trying to use and play with the Japanese rising sun motif in 15 different but meaningful ways must have been a challenge, but these covers meet it admirably.
They're also very reminiscent of these other Vintage UK covers, for the Classics editions of Yukio Mishima's 'Sea of Fertility' tetralogy, also in red, black (well, grey), white and featuring circular suns and moons. These designs were all the work of Anna Crone, drawing on old Japanese woodblock prints.
I might normally be inclined to rail against the Japan=rising sun imagery idea as a cliche, except that for the Murakamis it has been done so well, and for the Mishimas, well, Mishima was such a nationalistic nutbag who identified himself with old, imperial Japan so strongly that it is entirely appropriate to use that symbol on his books.
