FFD editorial team

In this website, we will dig deeper through interviews with active Japanese artists to find out what issues they are currently facing and what they feel about creating their works. You will be able to learn how Japanese traditional culture is being passed down today and how it is changing with the times, depending on the artist. Through this website, we hope that you will learn about the activities and works of Japanese artists, and that you will see and collect them when you travel to Japan. The activities of Japanese artists will help enrich your life and the lives of your loved ones. FFD Editorial Board

Interview with artist Yoshimi Kanou. Your strength and vulnerability are what makes you beautiful! 

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In conversation with Yoshimi Kanou, we talk about her life as an artist. Please enjoy reading this interview by Imoko Ichinose! Interview with artist Yoshimi Kanou. Your strength and vulnerability are what makes you beautiful!  I grew up surrounded by animals, the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other side. Your works are noted for the patchwork animal features (the cut-and-paste expressions of various cloth and art materials). In this interview, I would like to dig deeper to find out a little more about your creativity and work style. Have you always been an animal person? I was born in Matsue City in Shimane prefecture. I grew … Read more

No machine has ever existed like it, nor ever will again. 

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I first became interested in ocean liners when I was around 9 years old. Before air travel, the best way to travel was on an ocean liner. However, the world’s most famous ocean liner was a spectacular failure. Everyone knows the story of the Titanic because it failed. The Titanic’s designer prioritized decoration over functionality, resulting in over 1500 deaths. The Titanic’s designers thought lifeboats were ugly, so decided not to put enough on board. The Titanic’s watertight compartments did not extend high enough to prevent the ship from flooding. On her very first voyage, the Titanic sunk in a colosal catastrophe which remains well known to this day.Would a … Read more

List of Exhibitions (2025) *Updated as needed

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2025 Fukufukudo Gallery Uehara’s special exhibition Updated as needed ecember 31, 2024 (Tue) – January 7, 2025 (Tue) Maria Mizoguchi Japanese Painting Exhibition Isetan Urawa Art Salon (31J, Y) December 31, 2024 (Tue) – January 7, 2025 (Tue) Koji Kobayashi Solo Exhibition The Stage #6 Art, 6th floor, Isetan Urawa Store Jan. 15 (Wed) – 21 (Tue), 2025 Yoshiko Nakagami & Yoshimi Kano 2 Artists Exhibition at Isetan Tachikawa Store, 8th Floor Art Gallery (W 19J) Jan. 22 (Wed) – 28 (Tue), 2025 Yuki Saito Multi-layer Glass Painting Exhibition reflection at Isetan Tachikawa Store, 8th Floor Art Gallery Mar. 5 (Wed) – 11 (Tue), 2025 (Tue) Nancy Morozen Solo Exhibition … Read more

Yuki Saito Small Exhibition with GOLD LEAF CHALLENGE

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Yuki Saito Small Exhibitionwith GOLD LEAF CHALLENGE Thursday, February 27 – Sunday, March 2, 202511:00 – 18:00, closing at 16:00 on the last dayAdmission to the exhibition is free. HILTOPIA ART Square（Access） ◆GOLD LEAF CHALLENGE The fee for the gold leaf application experience is 3,000 yen (tax included).Let’s try applying it to shogi pieces or anything you like! Organizer: Gallery FFD Tokyo HILTOPIA ART Square（Access）

Interview with Nihonga artist, Maria Mizoguchi “I want to live to be 120 and continue painting!”

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Interview with Nihonga artist Maria Mizoguchi by art consultant Takashi Watari. Maria will hold a solo exhibition at the Isetan Urawa store in Saitama City starting December 31, 2024. Please enjoy! Related article: Interview with Nihonga artist, Maria Mizoguchi Interview with Nihonga artist, Maria Mizoguchi; “I want to live to be 120 and continue to paint!” I want this exhibition to invite good fortune in the New Year You’ll have a solo exhibition from December 31st over the New Year, at the Isetan Urawa store in Saitama. This past October, you held a trio exhibition in the same space with Rina Hasegawa and Hiromi Torimoto. In the October exhibition, I … Read more

The Cedar tree is like a grandfather to me, it’s why I paint trees – Interview with Nihonga artist Masami Shitara (part 1)

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Growing up in Yamagata, Masami was surrounded by trees, which deeply influenced her paintings. Please enjoy reading this interview by the FFD editorial team! Interview with Nihonga artist Masami Shitara (part 1) I started drawing thanks to a set of crayons and a sketchbook given to me by my grandfather Thank you for taking the time for this interview today. What got you into drawing when you were little? My grandfather gave me a set of crayons and a sketchbook for my birthday, and that was how I fell in love with drawing. What a lovely gift. What kind of drawings did you do at that early age? I used … Read more

List of Exhibitions (2024) *Updated as needed

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List of Exhibitions (2024) *Updated as needed Jan. 2-9 Yuki Saito Solo Exhibition at Isetan Urawa StoreJan. 2-9 A4 size painting exhibition with Seed Stories 23_24 at Isetan Urawa StoreJan. 10-16 Nancy Morozen Exhibition-Fuji Hikaru at Matsuzakaya Ueno Art GalleryJan. 15-Feb. 10 Moe Saito Solo Exhibition at Hilltopia Art SquareJan. 17-23 Ai Harada Solo Exhibition at Isetan Tachikawa StoreJan. 27-Feb. 4 Seed Stories 23_24 at Hilltopia Art SquareFeb. 7-13 Yuki Shogaki Solo Exhibition at Isetan Urawa StoreFeb. 14-20 Motoro Mouri Solo Exhibition at Isetan Urawa StoreFeb. 15-Mar 10 Fukiko Mizumura Print Exhibition at Hilltopia Art SquareMar. 6-11 Kana Mizuno Solo Exhibition at Yokohama Takashimaya StoreMar. 13-18 Kazusa Anazawa Solo Exhibition … Read more

Young Philadelphia Artist Paints Japanese Volcanoes! – Interview with Louis Claude Lafferty

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The editorial department of FFD interviewed Louis Claude Lafferty, who will have a solo exhibition at Hiltopia Art Square,  in Nishi-Shinjuku, from August 10 to 15, 2023 – please enjoy. Hello Mr. Louis, nice to meet you today. “Hello. Nice to meet you.” Louis-san, you are going to have a solo exhibition in Tokyo. What were you like as a child? “My mother is an artist. Because of her influence, I have been drawing pictures since I was a child. I spent a lot of my childhood in her studio.” ‘I learned to paint directly from my mother. Her work is made by sewing fabric together, and that has influenced … Read more