Mitsunori Kimura (木村充伯, Kimura Mitsunori; born 1983 in Shizuoka Precfecture, Japan) is a Japanese artist. He lives and…Mitsunori Kimura (木村充伯, Kimura Mitsunori; born 1983 in Shizuoka Precfecture, Japan) is a Japanese artist. He lives and works in Shizuoka, though his artwork has been exhibited Seoul, Florence, Valencia, Luxembourg. Kimura is represented in Tokyo and Nagoya by Kenji Taki Gallery.
Koji Ohmura (born June 1, 1981, in Morioka) is a Japanese Special make-up effects artist. He won the Emmy Award for…Koji Ohmura (born June 1, 1981, in Morioka) is a Japanese Special make-up effects artist. He won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Effects Costumes, Hair and Makeup for Disney Plus's The Quest. He was also nominated for Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards for Best Make-up for Commercials and Music Videos for Katy Perry's "Swish Swish" (2018), Justin Timberlake's "Supplies" (2019) and The Weeknd's "In Your Eyes" (2021). His work includes Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, The Butler, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, The Big Bang Theory, and Hawaii Five-0.
Tets Ohnari (大成哲, Tets Ohnari; * 30 June 1980, Tokyo) is a Japanese sculptor and contemporary artist living and working…Tets Ohnari (大成哲, Tets Ohnari; * 30 June 1980, Tokyo) is a Japanese sculptor and contemporary artist living and working in both, Tokyo and Prague (Czech Republic).
Jin Katagiri (片桐 仁, Katagiri Jin; born November 27, 1973) is a comedian, actor, sculptor, and potter from Saitama…Jin Katagiri (片桐 仁, Katagiri Jin; born November 27, 1973) is a comedian, actor, sculptor, and potter from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from Kasukabe High School and Tama Art University. Outside Japan, he is most well known for playing the PC (opposite Kentarō Kobayashi who plays the Mac) in the "Get A Mac" advertising campaign in Japan. He is a member of the Rahmens owarai comedy duo.
Masafumi Akikawa (秋川 雅史, Akikawa Masafumi) is a Japanese tenor singer. He has released a number of CDs, in which he has…Masafumi Akikawa (秋川 雅史, Akikawa Masafumi) is a Japanese tenor singer. He has released a number of CDs, in which he has sung a broad range of genres, from classical to pop. He appeared on the 57th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen broadcast.
Yutaka Sone (曽根 裕, Sone Yutaka; born 1965 in Shizuoka, Japan) is a contemporary artist who works in Belgium, China, and…Yutaka Sone (曽根 裕, Sone Yutaka; born 1965 in Shizuoka, Japan) is a contemporary artist who works in Belgium, China, and Mexico. Sone studied architecture at Tokyo University of the Arts (東京芸術大学, Tōkyō Geijutsu Daigaku). From 2000 to 2003, he taught sculpture at UCLA as a visiting instructor.
Yoshitomo Nara (奈良 美智, Nara Yoshitomo; born 5 December 1959 in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese…Yoshitomo Nara (奈良 美智, Nara Yoshitomo; born 5 December 1959 in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese artist. He lives and works in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, though his artwork has been exhibited worldwide. Nara has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions since 1984. His art work has been housed at the MoMA and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). His most well-known and repeated subjects are "big-headed girls" with piercing eyes, who one Nara scholar describes as having "childlike expressions [that] resonate with adult emotions, [their] embodiment of kawaii (cuteness) carries a dark humor, and any explicit cultural references are intertwined with personal memories."
Kouji Hirato (Japanese: 平戸 貢児 Hepburn: Hirato Kouji; born 1958) is a Japanese sculptor and a professor at Joshibi…Kouji Hirato (Japanese: 平戸 貢児 Hepburn: Hirato Kouji; born 1958) is a Japanese sculptor and a professor at Joshibi University of Art and Design.
Nobuyuki Okumura (Japanese: 奥村信之, Hepburn: Okumura Nobuyuki; born August 6, 1953) is a Japanese figurative sculptor who…Nobuyuki Okumura (Japanese: 奥村信之, Hepburn: Okumura Nobuyuki; born August 6, 1953) is a Japanese figurative sculptor who has lived in Italy. He is known for bronze works created through the Italian lost-wax casting method and for creating sculptures of three successive Popes which were each installed in Vatican City. Almost all of his works have been displayed at churches, academies, museums, public institutions and private collections in both Italy and Japan.
Etsurō Sotoo (Japanese: 外尾悦郎; born 1953) is a Japanese sculptor strongly influenced by Antoni Gaudí. His interest in…Etsurō Sotoo (Japanese: 外尾悦郎; born 1953) is a Japanese sculptor strongly influenced by Antoni Gaudí. His interest in Gaudí led him to convert to Catholicism. His most noted work are sculptures located in the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. He is nicknamed the "Japanese Gaudí" in his native Japan.
Leiko Ikemura (イケムラレイコ, Ikemura Reiko; born 22 August 1951 in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese-Swiss artist…Leiko Ikemura (イケムラレイコ, Ikemura Reiko; born 22 August 1951 in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese-Swiss artist who works in a variety of mediums, including oil painting, sculpture, and watercolor. She divides her time between Cologne and Berlin, teaching painting at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. Active on the international art scene since the 1970s, she is known for her work within the Neo-Expressionism movement of the 1980s, as well as her continually evolving style. Much of her oeuvre features elements of symbolism, involving the creation of magical universes blend elements of her animals, humans, and plants. Her work has been featured in a number of solo exhibitions in Japan and Europe, and is held in the permanent collections of major institutions such at the Centre Pompidou, Kunstmuseum Basel, Kunstmuseum Bern, Kunsthaus Zurich, and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. In 2023, she had her first solo exhibition in Mexico at the Museo de Arte de Zapopan.
Katsura Funakoshi (舟越 桂, Funakoshi Katsura; 25 May 1951 – 29 March 2024) was a Japanese sculptor. Funakoshi was…Katsura Funakoshi (舟越 桂, Funakoshi Katsura; 25 May 1951 – 29 March 2024) was a Japanese sculptor. Funakoshi was well-known in the field of visual arts in Japan. His father, Yasutake Funakoshi, was also a sculptor and soon he felt the same vocation. He studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts, from 1971 to 1975, and at the University of Fine Arts and Music, from 1975 to 1977. He started carving in camphor wood in 1980. His works, usually depicting human figures from the waist up, have a great poetical effect, and are striking and distinctive. Funakoshi worked this material in a personal way and left visible both the grain of the wood and the marks of carving. The artist carefully utilised the grain for modelling and left part of the head unpainted, normally the crown. Funakoshi exhibited his work at the Venice Biennale, the São Paulo Biennale, the Documenta IX, and the Shanghai Biennale, and his work is represented in several art museums in Japan and other countries. Funakoshi died from lung cancer on 29 March 2024, at the age of 72.
Susumu Koshimizu (小清水 漸, Koshimizu Susumu; born 1944) is a Japanese sculptor and an installation artist. He is one of…Susumu Koshimizu (小清水 漸, Koshimizu Susumu; born 1944) is a Japanese sculptor and an installation artist. He is one of the key members of Mono-ha, a group of artists who became prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s. Mono-ha was the name given to a loosely associated group of artists whose work was stridently anti-modernist—consisting primarily of sculptures and installations that incorporated basic materials such as rocks, sand, wood, cotton, glass and metal, often in simple arrangements with minimal artistic intervention. From early on, Susumu Koshimizu's investigation of material and space resulted in some of Mono-ha's most definitive artworks. Koshimizu's installations and sculptures during the 1960s and 1970s focused on the qualities inherent to but not visible in an object. Yet, he shows concern for the materiality of objects—a desire to expose the fundamentals of sculpture, often revealed through juxtaposition. In Paper (formerly Paper 2) (1969), he placed a large stone inside an even larger envelope of Japanese paper, open on one side. Viewers were able to look inside and—in the sculptural context of relating interior structure to exterior form—were confronted with the sheer size and solidity of the stone in contrast to the thin membrane of paper that covers it. Crack the Stone in August '70 consisted of an immense block of granite split in two at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. At that time, Koshimizu was exploring the fundamentals of sculpture without the need for juxtaposition: splitting open the stone and exposing its inside was a means to show the materiality and presence of the rock itself. At the beginning of the 1970s, Koshimizu started to explore specifically the structure of surfaces. A single installation, "From Surface to Surface (Wooden Logs Placed in a Radial Pattern on the Ground)" (1972/2004) is a good example. The work is composed of thirty, thirteen-foot-long square beams of wood, the surfaces of which have been sliced at varying intervals and angles to create undulating expanses of geometric form. Koshimizu's work since the 1980s has explored a variety of Japanese woods though the concept of "working tables.”
Nobuo Sekine (関根 伸夫, Sekine Nobuo; September 19, 1942 – May 13, 2019) was a Japanese sculptor who resided in both…Nobuo Sekine (関根 伸夫, Sekine Nobuo; September 19, 1942 – May 13, 2019) was a Japanese sculptor who resided in both Tokyo, Japan, and Los Angeles, California. A graduate of Tama Art University, he was one of the key members of Mono-ha, a group of artists who became prominent in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Mono-ha artists explored the encounter between natural and industrial materials, arranging them or interacting with them in mostly unaltered, ephemeral states. Sekine’s signature materials included earth, water, stone, oilclay, sponge, steel plates, among others. His Phase—Mother Earth, consisting of a hole dug into the ground, 2.7 meters deep and 2.2 meters in diameter, with the excavated earth compacted into a cylinder of exactly the same dimensions, is considered to have initiated the Mono-ha movement. Later credited as the "big bang" of the movement, the work not only attracted the attention of fellow Tama students but also Lee Ufan, who was senior to Sekine and in search of a theoretical framework for new art. This work led to an intense intellectual exchange between Sekine and Lee, involving other Tama students, that served as a foundational theory of Mono-ha, that combined Sekine’s principle of “not making” (tsukuranai koto) and Lee’s idea of “the world as-it-is” (arugamama no sekai), setting a stage for themselves and their peers to embark on a full-fledged exploration of mono (things), which became the name for their movement. Sekine’s own work rapidly progressed from Phase—Mother Earth to Phase-Sponge (1968) and Phase of Nothingness - Oil Clay (1969), with all of these works receiving top awards at major competitions. By 1970, Sekine established himself as a young but rising figure of contemporary art, being invited, along with Shusaku Arakawa, to exhibit in the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1970, by the critic Yoshiaki Tōno. While Arakawa filled the pavilion’s interior, Sekine erected a large-scale outdoor sculpture, Phase of Nothingness. Despite these attentions, the artist departed the Mono-ha practice and established Kankyō Bijutsu Kenkyūjo (Environment Art Studio) in 1973 to focus primarily on public sculpture.
Hidetoshi Nagasawa (長澤 英俊, Nagasawa Hidetoshi; 30 October 1940 – 24 March 2018) was a Japanese sculptor and architect…Hidetoshi Nagasawa (長澤 英俊, Nagasawa Hidetoshi; 30 October 1940 – 24 March 2018) was a Japanese sculptor and architect, who lived and worked in Italy from 1967 until his death in 2018. Nagasawa was born in Tonei, Manchuria. He graduated in architecture in Tokyo in 1963. In 1966 he embarked on a long bicycle trip across Asia and Europe, eventually reaching Milan where he decided to permanently settle in 1968. In 1979 he founded the Casa degli Artisti in Milan together with Luciano Fabro and Jole De Sanna. Nagasawa's sculptures were made of materials such as paper, wood, stone and metal, and incorporated Eastern and Western cultural and religious elements. In the 1980s, he started creating his first environments, exploring the relationship between sculpture and architecture. Nagasawa was a lecturer at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan. He participated to the Venice Biennale in 1972, 1976, 1982 and 1988. He was invited to Documenta 9 in Kassel in 1992 and in 2006 he participated in the XII Biennale of Sculpture in Carrara. He has also held solo shows at the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea in Milan (1988), the Galleria Comunale in Bologna (1993), and the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró in Mallorca (1996).
Susumu Shingū (新宮 晋, Shingū Susumu) (born 13 July 1937) is a kinetic sculptor from Japan. His nature-inspired works are…Susumu Shingū (新宮 晋, Shingū Susumu) (born 13 July 1937) is a kinetic sculptor from Japan. His nature-inspired works are constructed of highly engineered materials, commonly steel and Teflon.
Masuo Ikeda (池田 満寿夫, Ikeda Masuo; February 23, 1934 – March 8, 1997) was a Japanese painter, printmaker, illustrator…Masuo Ikeda (池田 満寿夫, Ikeda Masuo; February 23, 1934 – March 8, 1997) was a Japanese painter, printmaker, illustrator, sculptor, ceramist, novelist, and film director from Nagano Prefecture.
Aiko Miyawaki (宮脇 愛子, Miyawaki Aiko; 20 September 1929 – 20 August 2014) was a Japanese sculptor and painter. She was…Aiko Miyawaki (宮脇 愛子, Miyawaki Aiko; 20 September 1929 – 20 August 2014) was a Japanese sculptor and painter. She was best known for her sculpture series titled Utsurohi, installed at public spaces worldwide.
Tōru "Tohl" Narita (成田 亨, Narita Tōru; pronounced [nəˈriːtə]; September 3, 1929 – February 26, 2002) was a Japanese…Tōru "Tohl" Narita (成田 亨, Narita Tōru; pronounced [nəˈriːtə]; September 3, 1929 – February 26, 2002) was a Japanese visual artist. He is best known for creating the characters and mechanics for the television programs in the Ultra series: Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultraseven.
Saburō Muraoka ( 村岡三郎, Muraoka Saburō, 25 June 1928 – 3 July 2013) was a Japanese modern and contemporary artist born…Saburō Muraoka ( 村岡三郎, Muraoka Saburō, 25 June 1928 – 3 July 2013) was a Japanese modern and contemporary artist born in Osaka.
Kenjirō Azuma (吾妻 兼治郎, Azuma Kenjirō; March 12, 1926 – October 15, 2016) was a Japanese-born sculptor, painter and…Kenjirō Azuma (吾妻 兼治郎, Azuma Kenjirō; March 12, 1926 – October 15, 2016) was a Japanese-born sculptor, painter and teacher.
Yasuo Mizui (水井 康雄, Mizui Yasuo; 30 May 1925 – 3 September 2008) was a Japanese stone sculptor who lived in France. He…Yasuo Mizui (水井 康雄, Mizui Yasuo; 30 May 1925 – 3 September 2008) was a Japanese stone sculptor who lived in France. He specialized in abstract art forms for public sculpture, often within architectural contexts, and participated in several sculpture symposia across Europe, the United States, Israel, and Japan.
Kakuzora Tatehata (Japanese: 建畠覚造 Hepburn: Tatehata Kakuzora, April 22, 1919 – February 16, 2006) was a Japanese…Kakuzora Tatehata (Japanese: 建畠覚造 Hepburn: Tatehata Kakuzora, April 22, 1919 – February 16, 2006) was a Japanese sculptor. He was a leading figure in promoting abstract sculptures in Japan after the Second World War. He incorporated bronze and all kinds of materials such as iron, aluminum, plastic, acrylic, cement, etc. In the 1980s he started to work with plywood.
Churyo Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 忠良, Hepburn: Satō Chūryō; 1912 – 2011) was a Japanese sculptor and painter. He was born in…Churyo Sato (Japanese: 佐藤 忠良, Hepburn: Satō Chūryō; 1912 – 2011) was a Japanese sculptor and painter. He was born in Miyagi Prefecture and grew up in Hokkaido. In 1932 he moved to Tokyo to become a painter. Becoming influenced by Aristide Maillol and Charles Despiau, Sato decided to specialize in sculpture. He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. From 1934 on, Sato spent the next seventy years making art works primarily from bronze to much acclaim. He was a dedicated artist working from 8 am until 8 pm every day and died on 30 March 2011 at the age of 98.
Toshio Yodoi (淀井 敏夫, Yodoi Toshio; February 15, 1911 – February 14, 2005) was a Japanese sculptor, and a pioneer of…Toshio Yodoi (淀井 敏夫, Yodoi Toshio; February 15, 1911 – February 14, 2005) was a Japanese sculptor, and a pioneer of Japanese modern and contemporary arts. In 1994, he was officially recognized by the Japanese government as a "Person of Cultural Merit" and in 2001, the Order of Culture was conferred.
Isamu Noguchi (野口 勇, Noguchi Isamu; Japanese: [noꜜgɯtɕi isamɯ], English: ; November 17, 1904 – December 30, 1988) was…Isamu Noguchi (野口 勇, Noguchi Isamu; Japanese: [noꜜgɯtɕi isamɯ], English: ; November 17, 1904 – December 30, 1988) was an American artist, furniture designer and landscape architect whose career spanned six decades from the 1920s. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, Akari light sculptures, and furniture pieces, many of which are still manufactured and sold. His work is displayed at the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in New York City as well as many other museums.
Hiroatsu Takata (高田博厚, Takata Hiroatsu; August 19, 1900 – June 17, 1987) was a Japanese sculptor and essayist, who…Hiroatsu Takata (高田博厚, Takata Hiroatsu; August 19, 1900 – June 17, 1987) was a Japanese sculptor and essayist, who lived for many years in Paris. He had a wide circle of friends in the literary world, and his daughter was once married to Ryūichi Tamura.
Huang Tu-shui (Chinese: 黃土水; pinyin: Huáng Tǔshuǐ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: N̂g Thô͘-chúi; 1895–1930) was a pioneer of modern…Huang Tu-shui (Chinese: 黃土水; pinyin: Huáng Tǔshuǐ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: N̂g Thô͘-chúi; 1895–1930) was a pioneer of modern sculpture in Taiwan. From his youth, Huang was familiar with the traditional carving of Taiwan, and was influenced by modern Western styles during his studies in Tokyo.
Naoya Takei (武井 直也, Takei Naoya; 16 June 1893 – 5 February 1940) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the…Naoya Takei (武井 直也, Takei Naoya; 16 June 1893 – 5 February 1940) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Saburo Hamada (21 December 1892 – 10 November 1973) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event…Saburo Hamada (21 December 1892 – 10 November 1973) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Jitsuzo Hinago (24 October 1892 – 25 April 1945) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions at…Jitsuzo Hinago (24 October 1892 – 25 April 1945) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Yoshioki Hasegawa (3 March 1892 – 20 February 1974) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions…Yoshioki Hasegawa (3 March 1892 – 20 February 1974) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Tsuruzo Ishii (5 June 1887 – 17 March 1973) was a Japanese painter and sculptor. His work was part of the painting…Tsuruzo Ishii (5 June 1887 – 17 March 1973) was a Japanese painter and sculptor. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (藤田 嗣治, Fujita Tsuguharu; 27 November 1886 – 29 January 1968) was a Japanese-French painter.…Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita (藤田 嗣治, Fujita Tsuguharu; 27 November 1886 – 29 January 1968) was a Japanese-French painter. After studying Western-style painting in Japan, Foujita travelled to Paris, where he encountered the international modern art scene of the Montparnasse neighbourhood and developed an eclectic style that borrowed from both Japanese and European artistic traditions. With his unusual fashion and distinctive figurative style, Foujita reached the height of his fame in 1920s Paris. His watercolour and oil works of nudes, still lifes, and self-portraits were a commercial success and he became a notable figure in the Parisian art scene. Foujita spent three years traveling through South and North America before returning to Japan in 1933, documenting his observations in sketches and paintings. Upon his return home, Foujita became an official war artist during World War II, illustrating battle scenes to raise the morale of the Japanese troops and citizens. His oil paintings won him acclaim during the war, but public perception of him became mixed following the Japanese defeat. Without significant prospects in the post-war Japanese art scene, Foujita returned to France in 1950, where he would spend the rest of his life. He received French nationality in 1955 and converted to Catholicism in 1959. His latter years were spent working on the frescoes for a small, Romanesque chapel in Reims that he had constructed. He died in 1968, shortly after the chapel officially opened. In France, Foujita is remembered as part of the années folles of the 1920s, but public opinion of him in Japan remains mixed due to his monumental depictions of the war. Retrospective exhibitions organized since 2006 in Japan have sought to establish Foujita's place in Japanese twentieth-century art history.
Yuhachi Ikeda (28 August 1886 – 31 March 1963) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions at…Yuhachi Ikeda (28 August 1886 – 31 March 1963) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Seibo Kitamura (北村 西望, Kitamura Seibō; 16 December 1884 – 4 March 1987) was a Japanese sculptor. He is known as the…Seibo Kitamura (北村 西望, Kitamura Seibō; 16 December 1884 – 4 March 1987) was a Japanese sculptor. He is known as the sculptor of the 10-meter-tall Peace Statue in Nagasaki Peace Park. He is most often referred to as "Seibo".
Fumio Asakura (朝倉 文夫, Asakura Fumio; March 1, 1883 – April 18, 1964) was a Western-style Japanese sculptor, known as…Fumio Asakura (朝倉 文夫, Asakura Fumio; March 1, 1883 – April 18, 1964) was a Western-style Japanese sculptor, known as the father of modern Japanese sculpture and referred to as the "Rodin of Japan". He was a prolific artist, and his work spanned the Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa periods of Japanese history.
Kooyu Fujii (藤井 浩佑, Fujii Kooyu; 29 November 1882 – 15 July 1958) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the…Kooyu Fujii (藤井 浩佑, Fujii Kooyu; 29 November 1882 – 15 July 1958) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Shokichi Hata (畑 正吉, Hata Shōkichi; 12 February 1882, Takaoka, Toyama – 24 June 1966, Mitaka, Tokyo) was a Japanese…Shokichi Hata (畑 正吉, Hata Shōkichi; 12 February 1882, Takaoka, Toyama – 24 June 1966, Mitaka, Tokyo) was a Japanese sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Rokuzan Ogiwara (荻原 碌山, Ogiwara Rokuzan; 1 December 1879 – 22 April 1910) was a sculptor active in Meiji period Japan.…Rokuzan Ogiwara (荻原 碌山, Ogiwara Rokuzan; 1 December 1879 – 22 April 1910) was a sculptor active in Meiji period Japan. His real name was Morie Ogiwara (荻原 守衛, Ogiwara Morie). He is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern western-style bronze sculpture in Japan.
Hirakushi Denchū or Hiragushi Denchū (平櫛田中, Denchū Hirakushi; February 2, 1872 – December 30, 1979) was a Japanese…Hirakushi Denchū or Hiragushi Denchū (平櫛田中, Denchū Hirakushi; February 2, 1872 – December 30, 1979) was a Japanese sculptor. He was noted for his traditional Japanese wood sculptures, especially realistically rendered painted wooden portrait sculptures, often incorporating Buddhist themes. He was appointed to the Imperial Art Academy in 1937 and in 1944 was appointed an Imperial Household Artist. He was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 1954 and in 1962 was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit. His carving of a pair of dragon gods can be found in the rear alcoves of Kaminarimon Gate at the entrance to Tokyo's Sensō-ji Temple, installed in 1978 on the 1,350th anniversary of the Kannon's first appearance in Asakusa.
Fusako Yusaki (湯崎夫沙子, Yusaki Fusako; 5 September 1937 – 6 October 2026) was a Japanese-born Italian designer, artist…Fusako Yusaki (湯崎夫沙子, Yusaki Fusako; 5 September 1937 – 6 October 2026) was a Japanese-born Italian designer, artist and sculptor known by her claymation works which she produced in Italy, where she lived from 1964 until her death. She later established herself in this field also in Switzerland and Japan.
