Artists
Kenji Yoshida
He didn't like to be called an artist or painter, he expressed himself just "Kenji Yoshida". He was a survivor of Kamikaze-Tokkotai which is Japanese human bomb team in WW2. After the war, he painted through the whole of his life praying for the peace and his friends who have been sacrifices of the war. The title of all his works is "La Vie" which means life in French. He continued to express life and death until he died. Many people cry with watching his painting. He is not famous in Japan, but I think he is one of the best Japanese artists.
I love his paintings because I feel an innocence wish for the peace. Also, I love his life. He donated a whole his life for praying for the peace and people he loved via painting activity. His life is an art.
En-Ku
ENKU was a monk, poet, and sculptor who was walking around all over Japan and supporting the poor. He was born in a poverty village and lost his mom in early age. After that, he studied hard and became a monk to help people who are struggling in the same way. He made twelve thousand sacred sculptures in his life and donated all of them for the poor. The material was just a piece of wood that had fallen by the wayside. The making process is simple. Although, his sculpture having something special which is like a soul. I always see the divinity in his work. In this age, there was no job named artist, but I think he is a fantastic artist.
Onisaburo Deguchi
He is a Japanese prophet, poet, and artist.
He was a kind of medium can receive the message from God.
He predicted a lot of future stuff and historical facts like the defeat of WW2 or controlled by America before the war began.
Those are teacups which are called "You-Wan". He made those 3000 series of cups while just a year. The materials, colors, and way of making are all his original, unique. He was a mysterious person. None knows whether he had known about the future or not. However, his works having the value which impossible to measure by money, those remind the universe to people.
In his lifetime, he was persecuted, tortured, and killed a lot of people around him. However, even though after WW2 he had the right to get expensive blood money, he never got it, but he said that I cannot get such the money in the society everyone is struggling to poverty.
And then, he made You-Wan and gone.
He just made beautiful stuff before he dies.
I am moved by his soul which gets through via his works.
I often ask me "Can you chose the same way with him?" but the answer is always "No, I can't."