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How would you describe your artistic vision to someone encountering your work for the first time?
In the broadest sense, I see my art as a form of cultural expansion. As a Japanese artist, I have a core concept of conveying and spreading culture through my work. Art and culture reach into every field imaginable - and I believe that when different genres intersect, a true cross-cultural exchange takes place, generating a kind of chemical reaction that could never have occurred otherwise. That is the very reason my artwork takes the form of infinitely expanding patterns. I believe my role as an artist in this world is to transcend boundaries and create new ones.
How has your cross-cultural experience - rooted in Japan yet living and working in America - shaped your creative practice today?
Japan has walked its path of modernization under the deep influence of American culture. I grew up immersed in anime and manga, and from a young age I dreamed of one day basing myself in America - a place that represented hope to me as a boy. Living and creating in an environment beyond my own origins allowed me to rediscover what it means to be Japanese in ways I had never noticed before, while also giving me a far deeper understanding of American culture and countless new creative insights. There is an old Japanese proverb - Hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu - "Seeing once is worth hearing a hundred times." That saying captures my experience perfectly.
Both Disney and Eastpak carry powerful, iconic legacies. How did you reinterpret Disney's characters through the silhouette of an Eastpak bag, and where did the design process begin?
I have actually been a fan of Eastpak's artist collaboration products for about twenty years. I was particularly fond of the Raf Simons series - I bought each new piece as it came out - and more recently I purchased and used one of the Maison Margiela collaboration backpacks.
As for Disney, I have been going to Tokyo Disneyland since its very first year of opening, and have watched countless Disney animations throughout my life. I still listen to Disney soundtracks regularly today.
Since my art is rooted in Japanese manga and anime, I began thinking about whether I could draw inspiration from the visual language of Japanese animation during the era when it was most deeply influenced by Disney.
The idea I arrived at was the expressive technique of characters being swallowed up inside billowing clouds of smoke and bubbles - the kind of chaotic, exuberant imagery you see in slapstick scenes. I reinterpreted that visual language in a modern way, filtered through my own artistic sensibility, and that is how this artwork came to life.
Both Disney and Eastpak carry powerful, iconic legacies. How did you reinterpret Disney's characters through the silhouette of an Eastpak bag, and where did the design process begin?
I have actually been a fan of Eastpak's artist collaboration products for about twenty years. I was particularly fond of the Raf Simons series - I bought each new piece as it came out - and more recently I purchased and used one of the Maison Margiela collaboration backpacks.
As for Disney, I have been going to Tokyo Disneyland since its very first year of opening, and have watched countless Disney animations throughout my life. I still listen to Disney soundtracks regularly today.
Since my art is rooted in Japanese manga and anime, I began thinking about whether I could draw inspiration from the visual language of Japanese animation during the era when it was most deeply influenced by Disney.
The idea I arrived at was the expressive technique of characters being swallowed up inside billowing clouds of smoke and bubbles - the kind of chaotic, exuberant imagery you see in slapstick scenes. I reinterpreted that visual language in a modern way, filtered through my own artistic sensibility, and that is how this artwork came to life.
Your work often tells stories through bold visuals. When translated into a print on an everyday object like an Eastpak bag, what mood, emotion, or message did you want to convey?
The world is always alive with every kind of emotion - joy, anger, sadness, excitement - a beautiful, noisy mess of feelings. And yet, I feel strongly that we have to find a way to enjoy each and every day. My hope is that when someone sees this unexpected take on Disney's Mickey Mouse, they think, "Wow, I've never seen him like this before!" - and that wherever this item ends up, it adds a little more excitement to that space.
Which item from this collection is your personal favorite, and what would you carry inside it?
My absolute favorite is the overprint item - the one that carries the core concept of my art: an infinitely expanding artwork. The pattern is clipped to the surface of the backpack, but the art - the creativity - continues beyond what the eye can see. It becomes an object that makes you feel exactly that.
If you could send one piece of advice back to your younger self, what would it be?
I spent my early childhood in a complicated, far-from-happy environment, crying quietly to myself most days. What saved that timid little boy - without any doubt - was animation and the act of creating. Drawing gave me the courage to keep going, and helped me climb over so many walls. If I could say something to my younger self, I think it would simply be this:
"It's okay. You're going to find your way."
