{"id":1069,"date":"2021-07-02T13:06:13","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T04:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/?page_id=1069"},"modified":"2026-05-14T15:16:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:16:40","slug":"profile","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/en\/profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"page-section\">\r\n    <div class=\"sec-inner l-inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"sec-contents contents__profile__nav\">\r\n            <ul class=\"m-nav__type02 l-grid\">\r\n                <li class=\"current\"><a href=\"\/en\/profile\/\">Introduction<\/a><\/li>\r\n                <li><a href=\"\/en\/profile\/philosophy\/\">Thoughts entrusted to TOSAIGA<\/a><\/li>\r\n                <li><a href=\"\/en\/profile\/writing\/\">Writing activities<\/a><\/li>\r\n            <\/ul>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"sec-contents contents__profile contents__profile01\">\r\n            <div class=\"profile-head l-inner l-grid\">\r\n                <p class=\"head-pos\">TOSAIGA artist<\/p>\r\n                <div class=\"head-name\">\r\n                    <p class=\"head-name__ja m-title__type04\">Kazuhisa Kusaba<\/p>\r\n                    <p class=\"head-name__en\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/name-en.png\" width=\"140\" alt=\"Kazuhisa Kusaba\"><\/p>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div class=\"profile-text l-inner m-box__type02\">\r\n                \r\n                <p>\r\n                    Kusaba was born in Saga Prefecture in 1960.<br>\r\nFrom an early age, he grew up with a strong interest in &#8220;life&#8221; such as animals and nature.<br>\r\nKusaba, who found great joy in creation and expression, entered the College of Art at Nihon University to take the Theatre Course only to realize that what was truly necessary for him was not the artistic technique but experiences that could give him profundity and wisdom to vivify his arts.<br>\r\nHe left the college and became a backpacker to spend almost 4 years traveling mainly around Asia. The trip allowed him to look at ordinary things from a different perspective rather than an occasion to learn something new. The simple fact that we all are living repeatedly struck him and finally made him decide to be an artist to express \u201csparkles of life.\u201d\r\n                <\/p>\r\n                <p>\r\n                    He went back to his homeland with the vision of a new art form of ceramic painting by utilizing Arita-yaki&#8217;s conventional techniques.<br>\r\nHowever Kusaba knocked on many doors sharing his idea of \u201cTOSAIGA\u201d, it was rejected as a foolhardy undertaking.<br>\r\nFinally, Yuki Hayama, a ceramicist famous for his precise and delicate painting, welcomed the concept as innovative and worth trying, and let him begin the study of ceramic painting in 1987. Kusaba was 27 years old.<br><br>\r\nWhereas in traditional regular ceramic ware, the glaze painting and firing process is repeated 4 times at the most, Kusaba stuck to realize much more vivid and deeper colors, and kept trial and error until he finally succeeded in repeating the process more than 10 times.<br><br>\r\nIn 1990, he became independent and opened \u201cAtelier Imagine\u201d in Yamauchi-cho, Takeo City to start creating TOSAIGA in earnest.\r\n\r\n                <\/p>\r\n                <p>\r\n                    He kept up study and research being particular about color and sparkles, while constantly visiting various places such as India, Mongolia, and Dunhuang, in search of techniques, motifs, and inspiration for his art. As his career as an artist steadily advanced and he began holding solo exhibitions in various locations, his atelier opened a directly managed gallery in Saga in 2004.\r\n                <\/p>\r\n                <p>\r\n                    Also, Kusaba wrote the picture book \u201cFestival of Life: Where do I come from?\u201d, with a feeling of the need to talk how precious life is. It was motivated by several cases of young children involved in tragic incidences and child abuse. The book was later assigned in Japanese elementary schools as a supplementary reader in morality classes, and he came to be quite regularly invited as a guest speaker at lecture meetings.\r\n                <\/p>\r\n                <p>\r\n                    In 2014, Kusaba renovated the Saga Gallery to mark the 25th anniversary of the atelier opening and renamed it Kusaba Kazuhisa Koubou.<br>\r\nIn 2020, Kusaba turned 60 years old, which is, in Japan, regarded as the turning point to finish a period and to be reborn. At this juncture, Kusaba got back to his basics, longing for the sparkle of life, and started to create a new series \u201cJizai (at will)\u201d. For the series, he freely paints without a sketch, following his inspiration. Also, Kusaba thought of &#8220;Ry\u016b no Tama \u2018Nyoih\u014dju\u2019&#8221; (Cintamani, wish-fulfilling jewel) to express the energy of dragons.<br><br>Even now, more than 30 years after originating TOSAIGA, he continues to evolve as an artist, driven by his unfailing passion for the expression of life.\r\n                <\/p>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <!--<div class=\"profile-image disp-sp\">\r\n                <ul class=\"l-grid l-grid-col-2\">\r\n                    <li class=\"l-grid-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/img-profile-sp01.jpg\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"\"><\/li>\r\n                    <li class=\"l-grid-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-cntent\/uploads\/2021\/05\/img-profile-sp02.jpg\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"\"><\/li>\r\n                    <li class=\"l-grid-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/img-profile-sp03.jpg\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"\"><\/li>\r\n                    <li class=\"l-grid-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/img-profile-sp04.jpg\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"\"><\/li>\r\n                <\/ul>\r\n            <\/div>-->\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n\r\n<section class=\"page-section\">\r\n    <div class=\"sec-inner l-inner__type01\">\r\n        <header class=\"sec-header\">\r\n            <h2 class=\"sec-title m-title__type01\">Chronology<\/h2>\r\n        <\/header>\r\n        <div class=\"sec-contents contents__profile02\">\r\n            <table class=\"m-table__type03\">\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>1960<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Born in Saga Prefecture, Japan.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>1987<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Began research into a new mode of expression, TOSAIGA, in Arita, Saga Prefecture.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>1990<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Opened Atelier Imagine, developing new techniques enabling repeated painting and firing processes.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>1992<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Created Chinju no Mori, a 20-meter ceramic mural, the largest of its kind in Japan.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>1996<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Initiated exchange with the Dunhuang Academy of Art, China.<br>\r\nFeatured on the NHK television program Living with Fire.<br>\r\nThe work I Remember You was selected as a poster image for the film Ningen no Tsubasa\r\n.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>1998<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Presented works at the Asian Craft Exhibition.<br>\r\nVisited the Mogao Caves, Western Thousand Buddha Caves, and Yulin Caves, including restricted areas.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2002<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Mizu no Bosatsu was installed at the Seattle Mariners\u2019 spring training facility, USA.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2004<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Opened the SAGA Gallery in Takeo, Saga Prefecture.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2005<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Authored the picture book Festival of Life (Inochi no Matsuri), published nationwide by Sunmark Publishing. The series became an exceptional long-selling bestseller for a picture book, with over 520,000 copies in circulation.<br>\r\nLater featured on NHK E-Tele program Television Picture Book.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2006<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Presented Daich\u014dwa to the President of Mongolia.<br>\r\nPresented the same work to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2008<\/th>\r\n                    <td>The picture book Festival of Life received the National Kindergarten Picture Book Grand Prize.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2009<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Festival of Life was selected for the Bologna Children\u2019s Book Fair as a representative Japanese title.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2011<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Held a hospital art exhibition at Kanazawa Medical University.<br>\r\nCreated major works including Heian and Toki wa Ima, incorporating iridescent color effects.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2012<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Supervised the design of an ossuary conceived as a prayer space themed on \u201clife.\u201d<br>\r\nDirected the documentary film The Earth is a Classroom.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2013<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Contributed artworks to the film Strawberry Night \u2013 Theatrical Version, including the iridescent dragon Heian and the abstract work T\u014dsui.<br>\r\nDedicated Dainichi Nyorai \/ Kong\u014dkai to Shiund\u014d Hall at Fukush\u014dji Temple, Wakayama.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2016<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Began holding regular solo exhibitions at T\u014d-ji Temple, Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2018<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Four titles from the Festival of Life series were adopted for use in Japanese elementary school moral education textbooks.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2022\u20132023<\/th>\r\n                    <td>The gicl\u00e9e work H\u014dj\u014d no Megami \u2013 Lakshmi was exhibited at the Consulate-General and Embassy of India, commemorating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2024<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Exhibited at World Art Dubai, The International Contemporary Art Fair (Monaco), and Salon de l\u2019Art Japonais (France).<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n                <tr>\r\n                    <th><span class=\"c02\">\u25cf<\/span>2025<\/th>\r\n                    <td>Commissioned to create Shishin, a fusuma painting (traditional Japanese sliding door), for the Main Hall of Ry\u016bk\u014dji Temple, Nagasaki.<br>\r\nOpened the concept store Dazaifu OKAMI in Dazaifu, Fukuoka.<\/td>\r\n                <\/tr>\r\n            <\/table>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Introduction Thoughts entrusted to TOSAIGA Writing activities TOSAIGA artist Kazuhisa Kusaba Kusaba was born i&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/en\/profile\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Artist Introduction<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":53,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"http:\/\/dev.kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/?page_id=69"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1069"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1069"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15824,"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1069\/revisions\/15824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kusaba-kazuhisa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}