Kazumi Yamashita (山下 和美, Yamashita Kazumi; born 15 August 1959 in Otaru, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist.…
Kazumi Yamashita (山下 和美, Yamashita Kazumi; born 15 August 1959 in Otaru, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. Yamashita started her career as a shōjo manga artist. She made her debut as a professional artist in 1980 in the magazine Margaret. In her early years, she was inspired by the style of Mariko Iwadate. She is best known for The Life of Genius Professor Yanagizawa, which is being published in the seinen magazine Morning, and for which she received the 2003 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. The main character of the manga is modeled after her father. For her series Land she received the Grand Prize at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize 2021.
Famous People from Hokkaido
Hokkaido: 1,023 people
Shinichi Yokoyama (横山 信一, Yokoyama Shin'ichi; born July 21, 1959) is a Japanese politician who is a member of the House…
Shinichi Yokoyama (横山 信一, Yokoyama Shin'ichi; born July 21, 1959) is a Japanese politician who is a member of the House of Councillors of Japan.
Kiyomi Itō (伊藤清美, Itō Kiyomi) is a Japanese actress best known for her performances in pink films. She was given Best…
Kiyomi Itō (伊藤清美, Itō Kiyomi) is a Japanese actress best known for her performances in pink films. She was given Best Actress awards at the Pink Grand Prix for her work in this genre in 1990, 1992 and 1994.
Yasuharu Konishi (小西 康陽, Konishi Yasuharu; born February 3, 1959) is a Japanese musician, composer and DJ. He was a…
Yasuharu Konishi (小西 康陽, Konishi Yasuharu; born February 3, 1959) is a Japanese musician, composer and DJ. He was a founding member of Pizzicato Five and the only such to stay with the group until its breakup in 2001. Konishi's current activities are through his company readymade entertainment and his record label 524 records (a play on words from Konishi's name, as the numbers 524 can be read ko-ni-shi in Japanese using goroawase).
Yoshiyuki Ohmiya (近江谷 好幸, Ōmiya Yoshiyuki; born January 8, 1959) is a Japanese curler and curling coach from Kitami…
Yoshiyuki Ohmiya (近江谷 好幸, Ōmiya Yoshiyuki; born January 8, 1959) is a Japanese curler and curling coach from Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan. He represented Japan at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, where the Japanese men's team placed 5th. His daughter is Japanese female curler Anna Ohmiya, participant of Japan women's curling team on 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
Hiroya Ebina (蝦名 大也, Ebina Hiroya; 4 January 1959 – 7 January 2026) was a Japanese politician. He was the mayor of…
Hiroya Ebina (蝦名 大也, Ebina Hiroya; 4 January 1959 – 7 January 2026) was a Japanese politician. He was the mayor of Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan, from 2008 to 2024 and a member of the Hokkaido Legislative Assembly from 1999 until 2008. On the evening of 7 January 2026, after returning home from a meeting, he collapsed at his home in Kushiro City and was taken to a hospital, where he died of a sudden cardiac arrest the same day. He was 67.
Tomomi Mochizuki (望月 智充, Mochizuki Tomomi; born December 31, 1958), sometimes incorrectly spelled as Tomomichi…
Tomomi Mochizuki (望月 智充, Mochizuki Tomomi; born December 31, 1958), sometimes incorrectly spelled as Tomomichi Mochizuki, is a Japanese storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director, known for having collaborated with leading animation studios such as Studio Ghibli, Nippon Animation, Pierrot, and Sunrise. He sometimes uses the alias Gō Sakamoto (坂本 郷, Sakamoto Gō) when writing screenplays or working on storyboards.
Mitsutoshi Tanaka (田中光敏; born 24 September 1958 in Urakawa, Hokkaido) is a Japanese film and commercial director. He is…
Mitsutoshi Tanaka (田中光敏; born 24 September 1958 in Urakawa, Hokkaido) is a Japanese film and commercial director. He is president and CEO of Osaka-based film production firm Creators' Union and widely known for award-winning feature films such as Godai - The Wunderkind (2020), 125 Years Memory (2015), Blossoms Bloom (2014) and Ask This of Rikyu (2013). He has received numerous awards, including the Kinema Junpo Best Ten Readers' Choice Award for Best Japanese Director for his period drama Godai - The Wunderkind and the Japan Academy Film Prize as Excellent Director for the Japanese-Turkish co-production 125 Years Memory.
Kōji Tamaki (玉置 浩二, Tamaki Kōji; born September 13, 1958) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor. He has been well…
Kōji Tamaki (玉置 浩二, Tamaki Kōji; born September 13, 1958) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor. He has been well known as frontman of the rock band Anzen Chitai that debuted in 1982 and enjoyed a successful career, particularly during the 1980s. In the 1990s, he also began his career as a solo artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Japanese vocalists. In 2014, he was ranked first by a panel of 200 experts for the best ever singing voice in Japan. Moreover, in 2021 Koji was voted as the greatest active male Japanese singer, with 190 experts agreeing that he is a "living national treasure of music" and that he portrays an "unparalleled mass of expressiveness and emotion which only seems to get better with age".
Yūji Wakiya (脇屋 友詞, Wakiya Yūji; born 20 March 1958) is a Japanese - Cantonese chef famous for cooking Chinese cuisine.
Akinobu Kuroda (黑田明伸) is professor of East Asian history in the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of…
Akinobu Kuroda (黑田明伸) is professor of East Asian history in the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo. He specialises in the complementarity of monies in East Asia, India, Africa, and Europe.
Hisashi Inatsu (born 9 February 1958) is a former Japanese politician from Komeito who represented Hokkaido 10th…
Hisashi Inatsu (born 9 February 1958) is a former Japanese politician from Komeito who represented Hokkaido 10th district in the House of Representatives. He served as the deputy minister of health in the Second Kishida Cabinet.
Hiroaki Zakōji (座光寺 公明, Zakōji Hiroaki; born January 20, 1958 – January 29, 1987) was a Japanese composer and pianist.
Masami Yuki (ゆうきまさみ, Yūki Masami), real name Shūji Satō (佐藤修司 Satō Shūji; born December 19, 1957), is a Japanese manga…
Masami Yuki (ゆうきまさみ, Yūki Masami), real name Shūji Satō (佐藤修司 Satō Shūji; born December 19, 1957), is a Japanese manga artist. He is a member of the artist collective known as Headgear, along with Mamoru Oshii, Akemi Takada, Kazunori Itō, and Yutaka Izubuchi. He has received multiple awards for his work: the 1988 Seiun Award for Kyūkyoku Chōjin R, and the 1991 Shogakukan Manga Award for Mobile Police Patlabor. After graduating from Kutchan High School, Yūki moved to Tokyo, where he worked as a manga assistant under artists like Miki Tori and Kaoru Shintani, who inspired him to create his own works. He began by publishing several works in doujinshi, and soon after began working as a professional manga artist with Weekly Shōnen Sunday. In the mid-1980s, he developed the original concept for a lighthearted mecha anime that would become Patlabor, which launched in 1988 with the Early Days OVA and Yūki's serialized manga. As of 2026, he continues to work on projects like Shinkurō, Hashiru! and Patlabor EZY.
Midori Kinouchi (木之内 みどり, Kinouchi Midori, b. Midori Kiuchi on June 10, 1957) is a former Japanese idol and actress.
Yuko Yaegashi-Ota (born 26 April 1957) is a Japanese speed skater. She competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics and the…
Yuko Yaegashi-Ota (born 26 April 1957) is a Japanese speed skater. She competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Kotochitose Kosei (born 22 April 1957 as Minoru Yamamoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Chitose, Hokkaidō, Japan. In…
Kotochitose Kosei (born 22 April 1957 as Minoru Yamamoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Chitose, Hokkaidō, Japan. In July 1971, he made his professional debut and he reached the top division in May 1981. His highest rank was maegashira 5. He retired from active competition in July 1986. He became a wakaimonogashira (assistant) at Sadogatake stable after his retirement.
Hiroyuki Itagaki (Japanese: 板垣 博之, Hepburn: Itagaki Hiroyuki; born April 4, 1957), better known by the pen name Keisuke…
Hiroyuki Itagaki (Japanese: 板垣 博之, Hepburn: Itagaki Hiroyuki; born April 4, 1957), better known by the pen name Keisuke Itagaki (板垣 恵介, Itagaki Keisuke), is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his martial arts series Baki the Grappler (1991–1999) and its many sequels, which together have sold over 100 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. Itagaki lives in Fuchū, Tokyo, and has been a Musashi Province Fuchū Ambassador since 2014. He is the father of fellow manga artist Paru Itagaki.
Koji Okajima (岡島功治, Okajima Koji; born March 23, 1957) is a retired Japanese competitive pair skater and figure skating…
Koji Okajima (岡島功治, Okajima Koji; born March 23, 1957) is a retired Japanese competitive pair skater and figure skating coach. With pair partner, Naoko Asano, he is the 1976–77 Japanese National bronze medalist and with pair partner, Mutsumi Takezaki, he is the 1978–79 Japanese National silver medalist.
Yoshihiko Takahashi (高橋 慶彦, born March 13, 1957) is a Japanese former professional baseball shortstop in Nippon…
Yoshihiko Takahashi (高橋 慶彦, born March 13, 1957) is a Japanese former professional baseball shortstop in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp from 1976 to 1989, Lotte Orions in 1990 and the Hanshin Tigers from 1991 to 1992. He was the Japan Series MVP in 1979. He holds the NPB record for consecutive games with a hit at 33, between June and July 1979.
Mariko Iwadate (岩館真理子, Iwadate Mariko; born 8 February 1957 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist.
Masahiro Akimoto (秋元 正博, Akimoto Masahiro) (born 3 September 1956) is a Japanese former ski jumper.
Shuji Yamada (山田 修司, Yamada Shūji) (born 2 June 1956) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1984…
Shuji Yamada (山田 修司, Yamada Shūji) (born 2 June 1956) is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Shigemitsu Sudo (須藤 茂光, Sudo Shigemitsu; born April 2, 1956) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He…
Shigemitsu Sudo (須藤 茂光, Sudo Shigemitsu; born April 2, 1956) is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team.Currently, he is manager WE League club of Mynavi Sendai Ladies.
Hiroshi Ishii (石井 裕, Ishii Hiroshi; born 1956) is a Japanese computer scientist and a professor at the Massachusetts…
Hiroshi Ishii (石井 裕, Ishii Hiroshi; born 1956) is a Japanese computer scientist and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also Associate Director of the MIT Media Laboratory.
Katsuhiro Akimoto (秋元 克広, Akimoto Katsuhiro) is a Japanese politician and the incumbent mayor of Sapporo, the largest…
Katsuhiro Akimoto (秋元 克広, Akimoto Katsuhiro) is a Japanese politician and the incumbent mayor of Sapporo, the largest and capital city of Hokkaido, Japan. Following victory in the 2023 Sapporo mayoral election, Akimoto is currently serving his 3rd term as mayor.
Masayuki Kawahara (川原 正行, Kawahara Masayuki; born 1 February 1956) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed at the 1976…
Masayuki Kawahara (川原 正行, Kawahara Masayuki; born 1 February 1956) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Kazuya Nakayama (中山一也) is a Japanese actor and producer known for films such as Izo and Agitator directed by Takashi…
Kazuya Nakayama (中山一也) is a Japanese actor and producer known for films such as Izo and Agitator directed by Takashi Miike.
Chiharu Matsuyama (松山千春, born December 16, 1955) is a Japanese folk singer and songwriter. He made his debut with the…
Chiharu Matsuyama (松山千春, born December 16, 1955) is a Japanese folk singer and songwriter. He made his debut with the single Tabidachi in 1977, and success soon followed with the two hits Toki no Itazura and Kisetsu no Nakade. Matsuyama has been portrayed in film by Shunsuke Daitō. Daitō played him in a 2008 film based on Matsuyama's autobiographical work Ashoro Yori, published in 1979.
Mikio Oyama (大山 三喜雄, Ōyama Mikio; born 29 October 1955) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events at the…
Mikio Oyama (大山 三喜雄, Ōyama Mikio; born 29 October 1955) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events at the 1976 Winter Olympics.
Kaoru Fukuda (福田 薫, Fukuda Kaoru; born 4 October 1955) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events at the…
Kaoru Fukuda (福田 薫, Fukuda Kaoru; born 4 October 1955) is a Japanese speed skater. He competed in two events at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Shinbo Nomura (のむら しんぼ, Nomura Shinbo; born Shin Nomura (野村 伸, Nomura Shin); 24 September 1955 in Minamikayabe, now…
Shinbo Nomura (のむら しんぼ, Nomura Shinbo; born Shin Nomura (野村 伸, Nomura Shin); 24 September 1955 in Minamikayabe, now part of Hakodate, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the author of the yonkoma manga Tsurupika Hagemaru (つるピカハゲ丸; lit. 'Little Baldy Hagemaru'), which was adapted as a 58-episode anime television series and for which he received the 1988 Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga. He also later created a manga adaption of Ratchet & Clank. He began his career as an assistant to Kenshi Hirokane.
Mayumi Asaka (朝加 真由美 or あさか まゆみ, Asaka Mayumi) (born September 6, 1955) is a Japanese actress. One of her television…
Mayumi Asaka (朝加 真由美 or あさか まゆみ, Asaka Mayumi) (born September 6, 1955) is a Japanese actress. One of her television roles was as the ninja Sagiri in the jidaigeki Abarenbo Shogun. As of 2005, she is still active in television commercials. On August 31, 2006, she played a guest-star role in the prime-time series Shin Kasōken no Onna File 8 on TV Asahi. She also guest-starred in the episode of Mito Komon for broadcast on August 20, 2007 (season 37, episode 20). A year later, Mayumi appeared in a TV Tokyo Wednesday night mystery show, Ryokō Sakka Chaya Jirō #8.
Gaku Ishizaki (石崎 岳, Ishizaki Gaku; born 9 July 1955) is a Japanese former politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…
Gaku Ishizaki (石崎 岳, Ishizaki Gaku; born 9 July 1955) is a Japanese former politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Asahikawa, Hokkaido and graduate of Kyoto University, he worked at Hokkaido Broadcasting, a local broadcast network in Hokkaido, from 1979 to 1996. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996 but lost his seat in 2000. In 2003, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Sapporo, Hokkaido but was re-elected to the House of Representatives in the same year.
Hiroshi Sugawara (菅原 浩志; 1955 – 12 November 2025) was a Japanese film director, producer and screenwriter. He died from…
Hiroshi Sugawara (菅原 浩志; 1955 – 12 November 2025) was a Japanese film director, producer and screenwriter. He died from pancreatic cancer on 12 November 2025, at the age of 70.
Maria Mori (森マリア; born June 29, 1956) is a former singer and actress from Sapporo, Japan. She was also known as Maria…
Maria Mori (森マリア; born June 29, 1956) is a former singer and actress from Sapporo, Japan. She was also known as Maria Elizabeth. The daughter of an American FBI agent and a Japanese mother, she was a member of the Golden Half singing group, whose other members all had Japanese mothers and fathers from other countries. The group was active from 1970 to 1974 and appeared as regulars on the Tokyo Broadcasting System Saturday prime-time variety show Hachiji da yo! Zen'in shūgō which also featured the comedy group The Drifters and idol singers The Candies. Individually, Maria appeared in the television jidaigeki series Edo o Kiru and Yuki-hime Onmitsu Dōchūki and from 1988 to 1993 as Oryū in the TBS television series in Ōoka Echizen. She made guest appearances on Abarenbō Shōgun as well as in contemporary dramas including G-men 75, and co-hosted Chibikko Avec Utagassen.
Kazuhito Hashimoto (橋本和仁, Hashimoto Kazuhito; born June 23, 1955) is a Japanese chemist. Between 2004 and 2007 he…
Kazuhito Hashimoto (橋本和仁, Hashimoto Kazuhito; born June 23, 1955) is a Japanese chemist. Between 2004 and 2007 he headed the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo. In 2016–2022 he served as President of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and as the editor-in-chief of the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. On April 1, 2022 he assumed the position of President of Japan Science and Technology Agency. In 2006 Hashimoto received the Yamazaki-Teiichi Prize for his research on titanium dioxide photocatalyst.
Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (Japanese: 千代の富士 貢; June 1, 1955 – July 31, 2016), born Mitsugu Akimoto (秋元 貢, Akimoto Mitsugu)…
Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (Japanese: 千代の富士 貢; June 1, 1955 – July 31, 2016), born Mitsugu Akimoto (秋元 貢, Akimoto Mitsugu), was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport. Chiyonofuji is considered one of the greatest yokozunas in sumo's history, winning 31 tournament championships (yūshō) at the top division (makuuchi). This was second only to Taihō at the time of Chiyonofuji's retirement. He was particularly remarkable for his longevity in sumo's top rank, which he held for a period of ten years from 1981 to 1991. Promoted at the age of twenty-six after winning his second championship, his performance improved with age, winning more tournaments in his thirties than any other wrestler and dominating the sport in the second half of the 1980s. He finally retired in May 1991, just short of his thirty-sixth birthday. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he became an elder (oyakata) of the Japan Sumo Association and became the Kokonoe-oyakata the following year in 1992, serving as the stable master of Kokonoe stable until his death. During his 21-year professional career, Chiyonofuji set records for most career victories (1045) and most wins in the top makuuchi division (807), earning an entry in the Guinness World Records, although both of these records were later broken by Kaiō. He won the November Kyushu tournament, one of the six annual honbasho, a record eight consecutive years from 1981 until 1988, and also set the record for the longest postwar run of consecutive wins (53 bouts in 1988). That record stood for 22 years until Hakuhō broke it with his 54th straight win in September 2010. In a sport where weight is often regarded as vital, Chiyonofuji was comparatively light at around 120 kg (260 lb), making him the lightest yokozuna since Tochinoumi during the 1950s and 60s; he primarily relied on his muscle and superior technique to defeat his opponents. Chiyonofuji was a popular sumo wrestler who also went by his nickname "The Wolf" (ウルフ, Urufu) due to his muscular build atypical of most other sumo wrestlers, his competitive ferocity, and his appeal as a sex symbol owing to his body and his masculine facial features.
Kazuro Watanabe (渡辺 和郎, Watanabe Kazurō; born May 1, 1955) is a Japanese amateur astronomer and prolific discoverer of…
Kazuro Watanabe (渡辺 和郎, Watanabe Kazurō; born May 1, 1955) is a Japanese amateur astronomer and prolific discoverer of minor planets. He was born in Hokkaidō, Japan and is a member of the Astronomical Society of Japan as well as of the Oriental Astronomical Association. Through publications and the direction of junior associates, this asteroid hunter has been responsible for the discovery of nearly 700 asteroids, many of them in association with Kin Endate. He is the author or co-author of the Japanese publications Asteroid Hunter (小惑星ハンター), Celestial Body Photography Manual (天体写真マニュアル), The Celestial Sky of Our Dreams (僕らの夢の星空), as well as others. He is also a frequent contributor to the Japanese periodical Monthly Astronomical Guide (月刊天文ガイド). The minor planet 4155 Watanabe has been named in his honor.
Buichi Terasawa (Japanese: 寺沢 武一, Hepburn: Terasawa Buichi; March 30, 1955 – September 8, 2023) was a Japanese manga…
Buichi Terasawa (Japanese: 寺沢 武一, Hepburn: Terasawa Buichi; March 30, 1955 – September 8, 2023) was a Japanese manga artist. His most famous works include Goku Midnight Eye and Cobra.
Tomoko Kami (紙 智子, Kami Tomoko), also known as Tomoko Uchiyama (born January 13, 1955), is a Japanese politician and…
Tomoko Kami (紙 智子, Kami Tomoko), also known as Tomoko Uchiyama (born January 13, 1955), is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Councillors for the Japanese Communist Party. She first assumed office in the House of Councillors in 2001 and has been elected four times. A member of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Committee, Kami is an advocate of policies that support family farming.
Yoshie Taira (平 淑恵, Taira Yoshie) (born October 12, 1954, in Obihiro, Hokkaido) is a Japanese actress. She graduated…
Yoshie Taira (平 淑恵, Taira Yoshie) (born October 12, 1954, in Obihiro, Hokkaido) is a Japanese actress. She graduated from St. Margaret's Junior College in Suginami, Tokyo. From 1985 to 1999, she was a costar in the TBS prime-time television series Ōoka Echizen in the role of Yukie, the wife of Ōoka Tadasuke. She has also appeared in many other jidaigeki, including Gokenin Zankurō, Mito Kōmon, and Abarenbō Shōgun. Stage roles have included Akai Tsuki, Nemuri Hime, Koi Yamabiko, Benkei, Shishi o Kau – Rikyū to Hideyoshi, Zenigata Heiji, Kawaite Sōrō and many others. As a voice actress, she dubbed the mother in Doogie Howser, M.D., Amy Hasting in an episode of The New Perry Mason, and Abigail Bartlet in The West Wing. Taira has also appeared in films, and in television commercials for Yōmeishu and Kao. She is married to filmmaker Rintaro Mayuzumi (m. 1989), the son of composer Toshiro Mayuzumi and actress Yōko Katsuragi.
Shigenori Kudo (工藤 重典, Kudō Shigenori; born September 26, 1954) is a Japanese flutist.
Houkin Kiyohiro (寳金 清博, 24 September 1954 – ) is a Japanese medical scientist and neurosurgeon. He has served as the…
Houkin Kiyohiro (寳金 清博, 24 September 1954 – ) is a Japanese medical scientist and neurosurgeon. He has served as the President of Hokkaido University since 2020, where he is also Professor Emeritus. He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Hokkaido University, specializing in neurosurgery, and is one of the pioneers in the research of moyamoya disease.
Yoshinori Sato (佐藤 義則, born September 11, 1954, in Okushiri District, Hokkaido, Japan) is a former Nippon Professional…
Yoshinori Sato (佐藤 義則, born September 11, 1954, in Okushiri District, Hokkaido, Japan) is a former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher.
Takafumi Kawabata (川端 隆普美, Kawabata Takafumi; born 26 June 1954) is a Japanese ski jumper. He competed in the normal…
Takafumi Kawabata (川端 隆普美, Kawabata Takafumi; born 26 June 1954) is a Japanese ski jumper. He competed in the normal hill and large hill events at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Yuji Kishioku (岸奥 裕二, Kishioku Yuji; born April 2, 1954) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…
Yuji Kishioku (岸奥 裕二, Kishioku Yuji; born April 2, 1954) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Yukinobu Hoshino (星野 之宣, Hoshino Yukinobu; born January 29, 1954) is a Japanese manga artist.
Fumiyo Kohinata (小日向 文世, Kohinata Fumiyo; born January 23, 1954 in Mikasa, Hokkaido, Japan) is a Japanese actor.
Tadashi Kawamata (川俣正, Kawamata Tadashi, born July 24, 1953) is a Japanese installation artist. After first studying…
Tadashi Kawamata (川俣正, Kawamata Tadashi, born July 24, 1953) is a Japanese installation artist. After first studying painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, Kawamata discovered his interest in the practice of installation. Using recuperated construction materials, like wood planks, he began building rudimentary partitions in gallery spaces and apartments to explore the perception of space. Kawamata's fascination for Tokyo's urban landscape and its constant transformation soon led to the development of larger-scale installations in situ in cities in Japan and abroad. After having participated in the Venice Biennale in 1982 at only 28 years old, Kawamata's subsequent projects led him to work across Europe, North America, and South America. These ephemeral installations raise questions about architecture and its permanence, and have drawn attention to social realities, such as the stark class difference apparent in large cities. Since the 2000s, the artist's installations have taken on an increasingly ecological charge, confronting environmental disasters, such as the accumulation of waste or the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. He has lived and worked between Paris and Tokyo since 2006.