I was born and raised in the southern tip of the main island of Japan. In my hometown, it occasionally snowed in winter. As a child when I awoke on cold winter mornings, I was excited to see the arrival of snow viewed from behind a shoji screen. The unseen “snow” was implied by the color and the light coming through the translucent, white paper of the screen.

This anticipation of the unseen world behind the translucent veil became my primal motivation to pursue, as an artist, the realm of mystery that underlies all forms. The unique style of my art called YUSAIFU is the result of my memory of this childhood experience, love of beauty in the medium (Japanese paper, wood, silk) and of working with my hands. For over twenty years, I have been exhibiting my art work both in Japan and in the US.

My passion for pursuing the essence of life through motion, particularly through movement in human bodies, led me further explore performance in cooperation with YUSAIFU.

Atokata-Yukue : Tomura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
American Concentration Camp : Yurba Buena Gardens Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Cuts: The contemporary Woodcut : Kala Art Institute, Bekerey, CA

Jury’s Awards & Awards of Merit, California State Fair

First prize, The Really Big Show, Long Beach Arts

Awards of Merit, California State Fair

M.A. candidate in Transformative Arts, JFK University, Berkeley CA

M.F.A. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA

B.F.A. Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan