25 Renowned Japanese Artists

Matsuoka-Hisashi By Matsuoka Hisashi (1862-1944) Wikimedia

25 Renowned Japanese Artists

Japan has a rich history of art, with some of its most renowned artists having had a great influence on both the local and global art scenes. One of the most famous Japanese artists is Katsushika Hokusai, who is known for his woodblock prints, such as “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”.

The Japanese art scene has been heavily influenced by several renowned Japanese artists, many of whom have made significant contributions to the world of art and culture. While some of these artists have been celebrated for their work in traditional mediums, such as painting, printmaking, and sculpture, others have been recognized for their innovative approach to modern art and design.

The influence of Japanese art has also been felt in modern art movements such as the Gutai group, founded in 1954. This avant-garde collective of artists explored a range of mediums and focused on the idea of “creative destruction”. Gutai artists were particularly influential in the development of the avant-garde art movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

1. Katsushika Hokusai

Portrait of Katsushika Hokusai photo By Keisai Eisen (1790–1848) Wikimedia

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was a Japanese artist who is widely considered to be one of the most influential and iconic figures in the history of Japanese art. He is best known for his highly influential series of woodblock prints titled the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which include the iconic print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

 He also created other series and individual works of art which gained significant recognition in Japan and abroad. Hokusai was a prolific artist and is credited with creating over 30,000 works during his lifetime.

2.  Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama wax model at Louis Vitton for 2012 collection unveiling photo By Garry Knight Wikimedia

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who most is known for her avant-garde and minimalist works. Her works often focus on themes of infinity, repetition, and the void. Kusama is considered a pioneering artist in the world of contemporary art and has been producing artwork since the 1950s.

Her artwork is often characterized by its vibrant colors and patterns, which are often created through the use of a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, installation, performance, film, and photography. In recent years, Kusama has become increasingly popular and her work has been featured in many galleries and museums around the world.

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3. Utagawa Hiroshige

Portrait of Utagawa _Hiroshige By thesandiegomuseumofartcollection Wikimedia

Utagawa Hiroshige was a Japanese artist who is best known for his woodblock prints. He is considered one of the last great masters of the ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints. He was born in 1797 in Edo (now Tokyo).

 His works are characterized by their use of bright colors and bold compositions, often depicting landscapes or scenes from everyday life. He produced a large body of work in his lifetime, including the famous series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. He died in 1858.

4. Itō Jakuchū

Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800) was a Japanese painter of the Edo period. He is best known for his works in the Rinpa school of Japanese painting, which focused on naturalistic depictions of birds, flowers, and other elements of nature.

 Jakuchū is particularly renowned for his colorful and detailed depictions of birds, often in pairs or small groups, surrounded by plants and flowers. His works are renowned for their fine brushwork and delicate use of color. He is also known for his series of paintings of the 36 Immortal Poets, which combine elements of Chinese painting with Japanese aesthetics.

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5. Maruyama Ōkyo

Crows by By Maruyama Okyo photo By Maruyama Okyo Wikimedia

Maruyama Ōkyo, also known as Maruyama Masataka, was a Japanese painter who worked in the Edo period. He is known for his works in the Maruyama-Shijō style of Japanese painting. He is considered to be one of the most important Japanese painters of the 18th century.

 He is also credited with introducing a new style of painting that combined elements of Chinese and Japanese painting. Ōkyo’s works had a major influence on the development of modern Japanese painting.

6. Takashi Murakami

Takashi-Murakami photo By Sodacan Wikimedia

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist and a leading figure in the Superflat art movement. He often uses bright colors, cartoon-like characters, and a pop culture aesthetic in his artwork. He is known for combining traditional Japanese art with elements of modern popular culture, such as iconic characters from manga, anime, and video games.

His work has been featured in galleries and museums around the world, and he has collaborated with many international brands and celebrities. Murakami is also the founder of Kaikai Kiki, an art production and art management company.

7. Sesshū Tōyō

Sesshū Tōyō (, 1420 – 1506) was a Japanese painter, calligrapher, and poet of the Muromachi period. His given names were Motonobu and Narimitsu.

His most famous surviving works are the Landscapes of Four Seasons, which he produced in 1486.

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8. Kazuo Shiraga

Kazuo Shiraga was a Japanese artist who was part of the avant-garde Gutai art movement. He was known for his unique style of painting, which involved using his feet to paint directly onto the canvas while suspended in mid-air.

His works often explored themes of physicality, energy, and movement. He was also known for his performances, which he called “action paintings.” He died in 2008.

9. Kenzo Okada

Kenzo Okada (1902–1982) was a Japanese painter and printmaker. He was born in Tokyo and studied painting and woodblock printing under Takeji Fujishima and Shinsui Itō.

Okada’s works are characterized by their vivid colors and the use of abstract forms to convey a sense of movement and emotion. He is best known for his abstract landscapes and portraits, as well as his series of prints of the Japanese countryside.

10. Yōshū Chikanobu

Yōshū Chikanobu (1838–1912) was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist. He is best known for his woodblock prints, paintings, and books.

Chikanobu was born in Edo (now Tokyo) and was the son of a samurai family. He worked as a painter for the shogun and was a student of Chōkōsai Eishō.

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11. Hasegawa Tōhaku

Hasegawa Tōhaku (1539–1610) was a Japanese artist known as one of the great masters of the Kanō school of painting. He is known for his works in the Kanō style, which he helped to develop.

He is especially known for his screen paintings of the Four Seasons, which are now in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.

12. Matsuoka Hisashi

Matsuoka-Hisashi By Matsuoka Hisashi (1862-1944) Wikimedia

Matsuoka Hisashi is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and seiyū. He is best known for his roles in Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross, and various other anime series.

He has also done voice work for video games, such as the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts. He has won numerous awards for his work including the Tokyo Anime Award for Best Voice Actor in 2004.

13. Kaii Higashiyama

Kaii Higashiyama (28 April 1894 – 24 March 1966) was a Japanese actor, playwright, and theater director. He was born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture in 1894. He was the fourth son of a physician.

In addition to acting, Higashiyama was also a playwright, writing the play “Haru no Sanka” (spring’s Reflection) in 1927. He also wrote the play “Kuroi Sabaku” (Black Desert), which was performed in 1929.

14. Tōhaku Hasegawa

Tōhaku Hasegawa (1539 – c. 1610) was a Japanese painter of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was born in Mino Province (modern-day Gifu Prefecture).

His most famous works are the pair of sliding door paintings, Fūjin Raijin-zu which are housed in the Tokyo National Museum.

15. Kanō Eitoku

Kanō Eitoku (1543–1590) was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school of painting. He was the son of Kanō Motonobu. He was trained in the Kanō style of painting by his father.

He worked in the imperial court painting the walls and screens of the court. In 1589, he was appointed to the post of Official Painter to the Imperial Court by Toyotomi Hide Yoshi.

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16. Rosanjin Kitaōji

Rosanjin Kitaōji (1883–1959) was a Japanese potter, sculptor, calligrapher, chef, restaurateur, and publisher.

He is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of Japanese ceramics. Kitaōji was born in Tokyo, Japan, and his father was a potter.

17. Tawaraya Sōtatsu

Tawaraya Sōtatsu was a Japanese artist of the Edo period. He is best known for his paintings of nature scenes, often featuring birds or animals, as well as his distinctive style of ink brushwork.

Sōtatsu is also credited with inventing the makie, a decorative technique of applying metallic powder over lacquer. He was an influential figure in the development of the Rinpa school of Japanese painting.

18. Kōrin Ogata

Kōrin Ogata (1875–1947) was a Japanese painter in the Nihonga style. Kōrin Ogata was born in Tokyo in 1875.

He studied painting initially with Takeuchi Seihō, to whom he was related, and then with Kōitsu Takahashi and Matsumoto Fuko. He was a member of the Imperial Art Academy, the Japan Art Institute, and the Nihon Bijutsuin.

19. Jōshin Yamamoto

Jōshin Yamamoto is a Japanese artist. He was born in 1971 in Hiroshima, Japan. He currently lives and works in Tokyo.

Yamamoto’s work often combines traditional Japanese artistic techniques and styles with contemporary elements. He is particularly well known for his ceramics, which often feature traditional Japanese motifs. Other works by Yamamoto include photography, installations, and sculptures.

20. Kiyomizu Rokubee

Kiyomizu Rokubee is a Japanese sake brewery located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1675, it is one of the oldest sake breweries in Japan and is renowned for its high-quality sake and its dedication to traditional brewing techniques.

The brewery’s name comes from the nearby Kiyomizu Temple, and its sake is made with local spring water and rice grown in the region. Kiyomizu Rokubee offers a variety of different sake types, ranging from dry and light to sweet and full-bodied. The brewery also sells a range of food products, such as Konbini (Japanese convenience store) snacks and souvenirs.

21. Tetsugorō Yorozu

Tetsugorō Yorozu (1702–1783) was a Japanese artist and sculptor. He is best known for his work in bronze, which includes Buddhist sculptures and Buddha statues, as well as bronze bells, lanterns, and other objects.

 He was a master of the katazome-bori style of bronze casting and is believed to have produced the first-ever complete set of Buddhist statuary in Japan. He is also credited with popularizing the art of bronze casting in Japan.

22. Maki Haku

Maki Haku is a Japanese artist known for her mixed media paintings, which combine traditional Japanese painting techniques with modern Western materials. Her works often feature abstract landscapes, flowers, and other natural forms.

23. Fujiko Nakaya

Fujiko Nakaya is a Japanese artist who is best known for her fog sculptures. These installations are created using water and ultrasonic vaporizers and create a misty environment.

Nakaya has created fog sculptures around the world, from her hometown of Sapporo, Japan to San Francisco, California. She has also collaborated with architects, filmmakers, and musicians to create fog installations in various spaces.

24. Takeuchi Seihō

Takeuchi Seihō (1864–1942) was a Japanese painter. He is widely considered to be one of the most important artists in the history of Japanese painting. He is noted for his works in the Nihonga style, which combines traditional Japanese elements with Western techniques.

 He is renowned for his landscapes, depicting the natural beauty of Japan. He also painted beautiful portraits and scenes of everyday life. Takeuchi was an influential teacher and his influence is still visible today in the work of modern Japanese artists. Development of modern Japanese art and his works remain highly acclaimed and sought after.

25. Hiroshi Sugimoto

Hiroshi-Sugimoto photo By team art in berlin Wikimedia

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a Japanese photographer and artist known for his work in the genres of seascapes, architecture, and portraiture. He has a distinct style of photography that is rooted in conceptual photography.

His most well-known works include his seascapes series, which consists of black-and-white photos of the ocean’s horizon line. He also has a long-running series of photographs of movie theaters, which capture the classic, vintage design of the buildings. Sugimoto’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world and he has received numerous awards for his work.