Tokyo-based artist Poshichi on combining classical techniques with contemporary themes.
Poshichi is a Japanese artist who creates contemporary themes using classical Japanese painting techniques. Beginning their artistic journey in 2021 with digital art on an iPad, they held their first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2024 and transitioned to full-time artistic activity in 2025. @poshichi_rou
Where were you born and raised? How did it influence your art and your thinking about the world?
I was born and raised in Japan. My grandmother and aunt were art teachers, so I learned the fundamentals of drawing. Personally, I was influenced by manga, a Japanese subculture (Yoshiharu Tsuge, Jun Hayami, Yusaku Hanakuma). However, when I was commissioned for classical illustration work in my late twenties, I realized that Japanese painting techniques and manga-style illustration share common ground.
When did you first fall in love with art and realize you wanted to be an artist? For you, what is the importance of the arts?
My grandmother and aunt were art teachers, and my grandfather ran a picture framing shop, so becoming a painter was my dream from childhood. Painting has always been a constant presence and the center of my life. However, since I wasn't good at academic thinking, I distanced myself from it considerably after entering university and starting my career.
What does your typical day in the studio look like? Walk us through your studio and your most used materials and tools.
Right now, I work using just my iPad, so my desk at home is my studio. I'm proud that I can work alongside my cat. Starting next year, I plan to create works using mineral pigments.
What projects are you at work on at the moment? And what themes or ideas are currently driving your work?
I am currently creating new Japanese paintings for next year's exhibition. Two years after adopting a rescue cat, my themes focus on the quiet and peace of daily life, the beauty of living, and the frailty of human nature.
What do you hope people feel when they experience your art? What are you trying to express?
I am currently creating new Japanese paintings for next year's exhibition. Previously, my subjects were sorrow and anger, particularly depicting issues like an aging society. Two years have passed since I took in a rescue cat, and my current themes have shifted to focus on the quietness and peace of daily life, the beauty of living, and the transience of human existence.
I hope viewers will feel a moment of peace, recall cherished things or people, smile, and find joy in living in the present.
Which artists, past or present, would you like to meet? And why?
I want to meet the Japanese female painter Uemura Shōen. Even when her female subjects' expressions are unclear, they appear vibrant and beautiful. I want her to tell me everything about her creative process—like where she starts her sketches.
Do you draw inspiration from music, art, or other disciplines?
I don't think I'm influenced much. (While working, I basically listen to nothing or comedy radio.)
The reason is that I've always been the type to go against the grain in everything; I'm not good at being overly influenced by anything. I like to draw the image I have in mind to my satisfaction, starting as blank a slate as possible.
A great thing about living in my city/town is…
Japanese people strive to uphold order and rules. While there is never any freedom or laxity, they implicitly understand others' pain and can live comfortably.
Tell us about important teachers/mentors/collaborators in your life.
That's my grandmother. She painted abstract art, but she always praised my talents in a different field positively. And quite extravagantly at that. That always made me happy, and I think it's why I've kept painting.
Sustainability in the art world is an important issue. Can you share a memory or reflection about the beauty and wonder of the natural world? Does being in nature inspire your art or your process?
That's my grandmother. She painted abstract art, but she always praised my talents in other fields with such exaggerated enthusiasm. That always made me happy, and I think that's why I kept painting. And my mother, too, never criticized what I did; she quietly observed and supported me.
AI is changing everything - the way we see the world, creativity, art, our ideas of beauty and the way we communicate with each other and our imaginations. What are your reflections about AI and technology? What is the importance of human art and handmade creative works over industrialized creative practices?
I want to pursue activities that existed even before capitalism. I believe these are activities humans instinctively begin. That's why I do them—because I can't help myself. AI has advanced, greatly expanding expressive possibilities and boosting productivity. But my activities exist in a different realm. I do them for my own satisfaction, and if anyone is moved by them, I hope they'll cheer me on. I believe AI holds great potential as a means to refine works into something satisfying. However, I want to use it strictly as a means to an end.
Exploring ideas, art and the creative process connects me to…
It leads to a sense of fulfillment in life. It is also a means to cultivate a sense of living in the present moment, and it is akin to meditation.
