Biography

Painter. Born in Hyogo Prefecture. In 1948, graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts. Studied Japanese-style painting, but after graduation, shifted to oil painting. In 1952, founded O-kai with such artists as Akira Kanayama, Saburo Murakami, and Atsuko Tanaka. In 1955, joined the Gutai Art Association. From the early 1950s, he experimented with ways to paint with his palms, fingers and nails, without using a paintbrush. His “action painting,” created by holding onto a rope hung from the ceiling and using his feet on a canvas stretched on the floor, was highly acclaimed both inside and outside Japan. He became the most internationally known artist among the members of Gutai.