Five Japanese Illustrators That Changed the Art World

Japanese illustration took the world by storm after 1853, when American Commodore Matthew Perry forcefully opened the closed nation to international trade. Western artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh, became obsessed with ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) and avid collectors. To this day, many in the Western world retain a fascination for Japanese illustrative culture. And for good reason- Japanese illustration is a serious craft and one worth studying.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about Japanese illustration culture, these five artists are a great place to start. These five Japanese illustrators changed the art world, and each has a global impact.

Tezuka Osamu - The God of Comics

Anyone embarking on a serious study of the craft of comics must study Tezuka Osamu. In Japan, he is referred to as the God of Comics because of his enormous influence on manga (Japanese comics) and prolific output. Tezuka was also a pioneer in the fields of character merchandising and animation. You can visit the Tezuka Osamu museum just outside Osaka, where there is an array of historical products demonstrating his interest in tie-in merchandising.

A collection of Tezuka merchandise at the Tezuka Osamu Museum

Tezuka pioneered, or at least advanced, many of the features we would consider essential to manga today. This includes a sense of cinematic time in panel structure, iconic characters full of expression, and a diversity of genres and intended audience ages. Tezuka also had what he called a “Star” system, where certain characters performed like actors, appearing in multiple comics (sometimes under different names). For these reasons and more, Tezuka truly is a God of Comics.

Tezuka’s “Star Directory” featuring some of the characters that reappeared in his many works

Yuki Ogura - Groundbreaking, Lifelong Painter

Yuki Ogura was actually a Nihonga (Japanese style) painter, but there is no denying the illustrative quality of her works. Born in 1895, she remained an active artist until her passing at the age of 105 in 2000. This prolific lifetime of creation included several notable accomplishments. In 1932, she was elected as the first female member of the prestigious Nihon Bijutsuin (Japan Art Institute). And in 1980, she became only the second woman painter to receive the Bunka Kunshō (Order of Culture).

While Ogura had an apprenticeship in Nihonga and maintained many practices of the art form, she also differentiated herself from her largely male peers in a few key ways. Ogura tended to draw more from life, resulting in contemporary portraits of women and girls that possess a more realistic liveliness. Ogura also enjoyed still-life painting, perhaps partially inspired by the exposure of Japan to Western artists like Matisse and Picasso in the 1950s. You can learn more about Yuki Ogura in this Hyperallergic article.

Katsushika Hokusai - Prolific Master of the Floating World

If there is one image that could be said to represent Japan worldwide, surely it would be that of Under the Wave off Kanagawa or The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai. This immortal work of ukiyo-e (woodblock prints) may even be one of the most well-known images of art around the world, period. However, like Tezuka, Katsushika Hokusai was a prolific creator, producing much more than one notable work.

Hokusai created thousands of illustration called manga, although the word was not used in the modern sense (i.e. comics). Instead, the word is composed of two characters: man, which means incoherent, disjointed, confused or casual; and ga, which means drawing. Together, they suggest rough, rapid sketches and impromptu drawings. His manga collection included more than 800 pages of almost 4,000 images in 15 volumes published between 1814 and 1878. These collections served as inspiration and style guide for other illustrators and ukiyo-e artists as well as a collection of Hokusai’s sketchbooks, musings, inspirations and culture. Hokusai described himself as a “drawing maniac” and the body of work he left behind proves it to be true.

Takashi Murakami - Superflat Movement Leader

Takashi Murakami is a giant of the contemporary Japanese art world, instantly recognizable for his iconic characters and symbols. Known for deliberately blending the worlds of so-called “high” and “low” art, Murakami earned a BA, MFA, and PhD from Tokyo University of the Arts, where he studied nihonga. Despite this academic and traditional training, Murakami founded the Superflat movement in 2000, which invited artists to engage with various Japanese forms of artmaking, including ukiyo-e, anime/manga, and kawaii (cute) aesthetics.

From his iconic repeating character DOB to his many smiling flowers and cartoon skulls, Murakami’s art is colourful, recognizable and marketable. Like Tezuka, he always has an eye on merchandise design. This includes works sold under his brand, KaiKai Kiki, as well as collaborations with other brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Billie Eilish x UNIQLO, and Supreme.

A KaiKai KiKi hoodie designed by Murakami

Yuko Shimizu - Merchandise Design Phenomenon

Next to Hokusai’s Great Wave, perhaps no piece of art is more representative of Japan in the global consciousness than Hello Kitty. This simple, yet charming, character belongs to Sanrio, but did you know she was created in 1974 by then-Sanrio employee Yuko Shimizu? At the time, Sanrio was known for sandals with a cute strawberry print, and they were desperate to come up with another best-selling merchandise item. Shimizu delivered exactly that when she drew Hello Kitty, who was put on merchandise that quickly outsold any of Sanrio’s other new offerings.

The rest is history. Today, Sanrio is known for its characters, constantly seeking the next trendy seller. They’ve had many hits, in Japan and abroad, including My Melody, Gudetama, and Aggretsuko. In 2010, Hello Kitty was worth about $5 billion a year. Hello Kitty is also a dream brand to collab with, including a recent Junji Ito x Sanrio pop-up shop and past Hello Kitty X Pusheen collections (Pusheen is like the American Hello Kitty, after all!)

Unfortunately, Shimizu left Sanrio after only a couple of years to have a family and work as a freelance illustrator. Since then, she has not made much money off Hello Kitty, a lesson to all of us about ensuring fair contracts for your intellectual property, even when designed on company time.