STATEMENT

I have been searching for the meaning of being born an artist in Japan, and at the age of 42 I met sumi-e, or black ink painting, which came with Zen Buddhism from China 800 years ago. 

Since then, I have a renewed appreciation for the richness of Japanese culture where all infinitely accidental and unique expressions in ink painting and calligraphy are created with brush, ink, inkstone, and paper, all of which are made from natural materials, and how they are seamlessly interwoven into daily life. I feel it is my mission to pass down this tradition to future generations, and by copying paintings by old masters such as Itō Jakuchū I learned ancient techniques of brush strokes and ink tonalities and internalized emotions of the artists. With this in mind I continue to explore sumi-e’s new expressive possibilities that can only be achieved in our time. 

As a Japanese artist, traditional Japanese culture that is deeply rooted in Zen flows through my creativity. With respect to all living things on Earth, I paint them as my subject to illustrate the importance of learning from nature.

PROFILE

He was born in Shizuoka Prefecture and raised in Aichi Prefecture.
When he was a childhood, he loved to draw, and he had been dreamed of becoming a painter ever since he could remember.
While studying graphic design at an art school, he interested in modern art in New York, and after graduation, he moved to Tokyo to fulfill his childhood dream… to become a painter at the age of 21.

The next year, however, his apartment caught on fire and lost all of his paintings and materials..

Because of his positive personality by nature, he thought this incident was that Gods gave him opportunity to go to New York where he wanted to go most. So, 3 months after the fire, he left alone for New York in early winter at the age of 22.
While working as a waiter at an Japanese restaurant, he was inspired by the works of Mark Kostabi and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who were active in New York at that time.

He returned to Japan after staying for a year and a half.

At the age of 24, he realized the limits of his talents that he gave up his dream and worked for a film production company.
In 2006, 19 years after he stop drawing and just look away from it. He was shocked by the ink paintings by ITO Jakuchu at the Joe Price Collection Exhibition held in Ueno.

In 2008, at the age of 43, he was aware of a maddening compulsion to paint for the second time in his life. That’s way he became a disciple of Suiboku-ga painter to learn basic classical techniques.

Starting with his first personal exhibition in November 2017, he began his full-scale activities as a sumi-e artist, and since then he has been actively expanding his activities into client work, advertising, live drawing at events, competitions, etc.

In 2018, in an effort to pass on the traditional Japanese culture of sumi-e to the world, he started a workshop for tourists from overseas and opened an online store called “SUMIeMOTION”, which was coined from the words “SUMI-e” and “eMOTION”, with the hope that visitors can more easily to get a familiar view of the world of sumi-e.

In 2019, he challenged collaborative work with western calligrapher with sumi-e painting. He is always challenging something new to “Today’s world of ink painting” with succeeded the traditional techniques to make the most of it and continuously transmitting to the world.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023  LUMINOUS@gallery801 5/5~5/21 Chiba,Japan

2022  SUMIE no AKARI＠Ohtani furniture gallery 12/9~12/12 Chiba,Japan

2021  Rebirth@gallery801 8/8~8/29 Chiba,Japan

2019 Japanese SUMI-e meets Western calligraphy, Tokyo,Japan
2018 SUMIeMOTION meets HANADA ROSSO exhibition,Tokyo,Japan
2017 1st.SUMIeMOTION “integrate”, Tokyo,Japan 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019 J-COLLABO ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBITION, Brooklyn,New York
2017 The 5th in-house exhibition in Bokuseikai, Tokyo,Japan
2016 SEN Art & Creative Consulting Kick Off Exhibition, Tokyo,Japan
2016 The 4th in-house exhibition in Bokuseikai, Tokyo,Japan
2015 The 3rd in-house exhibition in Bokuseikai, Tokyo,Japan
2014 The 2nd in-house exhibition in Bokuseikai, Tokyo,Japan
2013 The 1st. in-house exhibition in Bokuseikai, Tokyo,Japan 

AWARDS

2019 BRONZE PRIZE in the J-COLLABO ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBITION, Brooklyn,New York
2018 EXCELLENCE AWARD in the 2nd. Nichibi Art Exhibition, Tokyo,Japan
2017 EXCELLENCE AWARD in the 1st. Nichibi Art Exhibition, Tokyo,Japan 

LIVE DRAWING

2022 GOI DAIICHI ART STREET 12/3 Chiba,Japan

2022 Healing Art & Music “SoHam” Chiba,Japan

2021 SPARKLE KITCHEN CAR OPENING EVENT 11/12 Chiba,Japan

2021 Warawa no sato fes. 10/30 Chiba,Japan

2019 Holiday party at J-COLLABO, Brooklyn, New York
2019 Shibuya Fashion & Art College Festival, Tokyo, Japan
2019 Luxury private party at Under Deer Lounge,Tokyo, Japan
2018 Tamagawa Takashimaya, Tokyo, Japan
2017 1st SUMIeMOTION Integrate at Ars Gallery,Tokyo, Japan
2017 Shoin Jinja (Shrine) Summer Festival Kagura-den, Tokyo, Japan
2016 First Friday at Courtyard Hiroo, Tokyo, Japan
2015 First Friday at Courtyard Hiroo, Tokyo, Japan
2015 Futako Tamagawa Art Depot, Tokyo, Japan
2014 Futako Tamagawa Biennale, Tokyo, Japan
2014 Shimokitazawa University Festival, Tokyo, Japan
2013 Sancha de Daidougei Festival, Tokyo, Japan