List of Japanese artists

This is a list of Japanese artists. This list is intended to encompass Japanese who are primarily fine artists. For information on those who work primarily in film, television, advertising, manga, anime, video games, or performance arts, please see the relevant respective articles.

Heian and Kamakura periods

Name	Life	Comments
Kose Kanaoka	9th century	Painter of landscapes, court and buddhist paintings, proponent of Yamato-e styles and methods
Fujiwara Takanobu	1142–1205	Nise-e Painter
Fujiwara Nobuzane	1176–1265	Nise-e Painter, son of Fujiwara Takanobu

Sculptors

Name	Life	Comments
Tori Busshi	late 6th to early 7th centuries	Busshi, patron sculptor to Shōtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako
Jōchō	d. 1057	Busshi; popularized yosegi technique of carving one figure from many pieces of wood
Kaikei	mid-to-late 12th century	Busshi founder of the Kei school
Jōkei	late 12th century	Busshi of the Kei school
Unkei	1151–1223	Busshi of the Kei school
Tankei	1173–1256	Busshi of the Kei school
Kōkei	active 1175–1200	Busshi head of the Kei school during reconstruction of Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji
Hidari Jingorō	active 1596–1644	Painter, sculptor and carver, his works include many of the carvings at Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Enkū	1632–1695	Buddhist monk and Busshi sculptor
Gechu	active 18th century	Sculptor
Naitō Toyomasa	1773–1856	Sculptor of netsuke
Tetsuya Noguchi	Born 1980	Sculptor
Chie Aoki	Born 1981	Sculptor

Pottery and ceramics

Name	Life	Comments
Hamada Shōji	1894–1978	Potter, declared a Living National Treasure in 1955
Kimiyo Mishima	1932–2024	Ceramic artist
Seiko Kato Behr	1941–2010	Japanese-born American potter, ceramicist, ikebana flower artist, installation artist, and sculptor
Jun Kaneko	Born 1942	Potter and ceramics artist
Masaya Imanishi	Born 1947	Ceramic artist
Yukio Ozaki	Born 1948	Japanese-born ceramic artist, wood sculptor, teacher in Hawaii
Yo Akiyama	Born 1953	Ceramic artist of the Sōdeisha movement

Sumi-e (ink painting)

Name	Life	Comments
Josetsu	1405–1423	Suiboku painter, likely a teacher of Tenshō Shūbun
Tenshō Shūbun	1414–1463	Sumi-e painter
Sesshū Tōyō	1420–1506	Associated with Sumi-e
Shingei	1431–1485	Also known as Geiami, yamato-e ink painter
Soami	d. 1525	Painter and landscape artist; one of the first nanga painters
Yosa Buson	1716–1784	Painter who perfected the nanga style, also a renowned poet
Ike no Taiga	1723–1776	Painter who perfected the nanga style
Koho Yamamoto	1922-	Student of Chiura Obata

Kanō School

Name	Life	Comments
Kanō Masanobu	1434–1530	Founder of the Kanō School, chief painter to Ashikaga shogunate during his time
Kanō Motonobu	1476–1559	Painter of the Kanō School, son of Kanō Masanobu
Kanō Eitoku	1543–1590	Painter, re-founder of the Kanō school
Kanō Mitsunobu	d. 1608	Son of Eitoku, inherited Kanō school after his father's death
Kanō Tan'yū	1602–1674	Prominent Kanō school painter, official painter to the Tokugawa shogunate
Kanō Hōgai	1828–1888	Among the last of the Kanō school painters, incorporated Western stylistic elements
Hashimoto Gahō	1835–1908	Among the last of the Kanō school painters, chief professor of painting at two schools

Rimpa School

Name	Life	Comments
Hon'ami Kōetsu	1558–1637	Painter, co-founder of the Rimpa school
Tawaraya Sōtatsu	d. 1643	Painter, co-founder of the Rimpa school
Ogata Kōrin	1657–1716	Painter and lacquerer, major figure in the Rimpa school
Ogata Kenzan	1663–1743	Painter and potter, major figure in the Rimpa school
Sakai Hōitsu	1761–1828	Painter, associated with the Rimpa school
Kamisaka Sekka	1866–1942	The most recent painting master of the Rimpa school and craftsman

Tosa School

Name	Life	Comments	Reference
Iwasa Matabei	1578–1650	Tosa school painter of genre and historical scenes, predecessor to ukiyo-e

Kyoto School

Name	Life	Comments
Tomioka Tessai	1836–1924	Painter and calligrapher of the Kyoto School
Maruyama Ōkyo	1733–1795	Sumi-e painter, founder of Shijō school
Kikuchi Yōsai	1781–1878	Painter of the Kyoto, Shijō, and Maruyama schools

Nihonga Painters

Name	Life	Comments
Yokoyama Taikan	1868–1958	Painter
Okuda Gensou	1912–2003	Nihonga painter of the Shōwa era, gave his name to 'Gensou red' pigment
Goto Jin	Born 1968	Nihonga painter of the Heisei era.Human Beauty paintings.
Fuyuko Matsui	Born 1974	Contemporary Nihonga painter living in Tokyo.

Eccentrics and smaller schools

Name	Life	Comments
Ogura Yonesuke Itoh	1870–1940	Japanese born painter of Hawaii's Volcano School
Otagaki Rengetsu	1791–1851	Calligrapher and poet
Hasegawa Settan	d. 1843	Painter of the Hasegawa school, ukiyo-e printmaker, and sculptor
Hasegawa Tohaku	1539–1610	Ink painter, founder of the Hasegawa school
Shibata Zeshin	1807–1891	Painter trained in the Kyoto School, master craftsman and innovator, particularly in lacquer
Eijiro Miyama	Born 1934	Outsider artist known as the "Hat Man"

Ukiyo-e painters and printmakers

Name	Life	Comments
Hishikawa Moronobu	1618–1694	"Father of ukiyo-e
Torii Kiyonobu I	1664–1729	Printmaker
Sukenobu	1682–1752	Ukiyo-e painter, Miyagawa school
Miyagawa Shunsui	fl. c.1740-60s	Ukiyo-e painter, son and student of Miyagawa Chōshun
Miyagawa Isshō	mid-18th century	Painter, student of Miyagawa Chōshun
Okumura Masanobu	1686–1764	Printmaker, Torii school initially
Toriyama Sekien	1712–1788	Printmaker, teacher of Utamaro
Suzuki Harunobu	1724–1770	Printmaker
Katsukawa Shunshō	1726–1792	Printmaker, leading figure in the Katsukawa school
Sharaku	d. 1801	One of the greatest and most mysterious ukiyo-e printmakers; career spanned only ten months
Kitao Shigemasa	1739–1820	Printmaker-Founder of Kitao school of ukiyo-e
Torii Kiyonaga	1752–1815	Printmaker, Fourth titular head of the Torii school
Utamaro	1753–1806	Printmaker, painter
Koryusai	1735–1790	Printmaker
Hokusai	1760–1849	Ukiyo-e painter, woodblock print artist, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Toyokuni	1769–1825	Printmaker, associated with the Utagawa school
Utagawa Kunimasa	1773–1810	Printmaker
Toyohiro	1773–1828	Printmaker and painter of the Utagawa school, teacher of Hiroshige
Kawahara Keiga	1786–1860?	Painter on paper, silk and wood at Dejima, Nagasaki and on travels through Japan. Biological depictions of flowers and animals for Philipp Franz von Siebold, scenes with persons in- and outdoors, and at the court of Edo
Hiroshige	1797–1858	Ukiyo-e painter and woodblock print artist, Sixty-nine Stations on the Kiso Kaidō, Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and 100 Famous Views of Edo
Konishi Hirosada	1810–1864	Printmaker of the Osaka school
Utagawa Kunisada II	1823–1880	Printmaker of the Utagawa school
Hokuei	d. 1837	Printmaker
Kunimasu	Unknown	Printmaker
Kawanabe Kyosai	1831–1889	Student of Kuniyoshi, first Japanese political cartoonist
Toyohara Kunichika	1835–1900	Printmaker known for actor prints
Yoshitoshi	1839–1892	Printmaker, one of the last great masters of ukiyo-e

Modern artists

Name	Life	Comments
Koun Takamura	1851–1934	Father of Kotaro Takamura, sculptor of Ueno Park statue of Saigō Takamori
Tama Kiyohara	1861–1939	Western-style painter, wife of sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa, who lived 52 years in Sicily. Also known as Eleonora Ragusa
Arai Yoshimune	1863-1941	Woodblock print artist of the shin hanga movement
Kuroda Seiki	1866–1924	Painter who introduced impressionism to Japan
Kume Keiichiro	1866–1934	Impressionist painter trained in France
Okada Saburōsuke	1869–1939	Painter, mostly in the Yōga style, and art professor
Toyozo Arakawa	1874–1985	Well-known ceramic painter
Ito Yuhan	1882-1951	Woodblock print artist of the shin hanga movement
Kotaro Takamura	1883–1956	Sculptor and poet, combining Western styles with Japanese tradition
Rosanjin	1883–1959	Calligrapher, ceramicist and restaurateur
Tsuguharu Foujita	1886–1968	Painter and engraver, applied French oil painting techniques to traditional Japanese painting
Ohno Bakufu	1888–1976	Painter and printmaker
Kawai Kanjirō	1890–1966	Potter and a key figure in mingei (Japanese folk art) and studio pottery movements
Yasuo Kuniyoshi	1893–1953	Migrated to New York from Japan in 1906. Well known for his paintings related to Social Realism
Kanpū Ōmata	1894–1947	Painter and waka poet
Haruko Hasegawa	1895–1967	Painter, illustrator, writer; she specialized in war painting
Kaita Murayama	1896–1919	Painter, known primarily for his work as an author
Bumpei Usui	1898–1994	Painter, born in Japan, emigrated to New York in 1921
Ichiro Fukuzawa	1896–1992	Surrealist painter
Iwao Yamawaki	1898–1987	Bauhaus educated photographer and architect
Kenzo Okada	1902–1982	Abstract expressionist painter in New York City and Japan
Shiko Munakata	1903–1975	Woodcut artist, painter, and calligrapher
Koiso Ryouhei	1903–1988	Painter of World War II military scenes
Isamu Noguchi	1904–1988	Sculptor
Jiro Yoshihara	1905–1972	Founding member of Gutai group
Migishi Setsuko	1905–1999	Painter and illustrator known as one of the pioneering Japanese women in oil painting
Suda Kokuta	1906–1990	Abstract and Western-style painter, calligrapher
Hideo Date	1907–2004	Immigrated to California from Osaka, Japan. When in Los Angeles, he was influenced by artist and teacher Stanton MacDonald-Wright at the Art Students' League in Los Angeles.
Taro Yashima	1908–1994	Children's book Illustrator and Author
Yozo Hamaguchi	1909–2000	Mezzotint printmaker
Minami Keiko	1911–2004	Aquatint engraver and printmaker
Yoshio Fujimaki	1911–disappeared 1935	Sōsaku-hanga woodblock printmaker
Kansuke Yamamoto	1914–1987	Avant-garde photographer and poet associated with Surrealism
Itchiku Kubota	1917–2003	Textile artist
Tomiyama Taeko	1921–2021	Visual artist, painter
Yoshida Kenji	1924-2009	Abstract painter
Tsuruko Yamazaki	1925–2019	Avant-garde artist; member of the Gutai group
Michio Ihara	Born 1928	Sculptor
Tsunehisa Kimura	1928–2008	Photomontage artist
Shozo Shimamoto	1928–2013	Gutai group artist
Tezuka Osamu	1928–1989	Famous manga artist with works like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion
Yayoi Kusama	Born 1929	Conceptual artist, self-described "obsessive artist"
Minoru Niizuma	1930–1998	Abstract sculptor
Shigeo Fukuda	1932–2009	Sculptor, graphic artist and poster designer who created optical illusions
Ushio Shinohara	Born 1932	Japanese Neo-Dadaist artist
On Kawara	1933–2014	Conceptual Artist
Yoko Ono	Born 1933	Conceptual and performance artist, singer, and widow of John Lennon
Fujiko Nakaya	Born 1933	Fog sculptor
Morino Hiroaki	Born 1934	Potter
Shusaku Arakawa	1936–2010	Abstract painter and architect from Tokyo, living in New York since 1961
Keiichi Tanaami	Born 1936	Multi-genre artist from Tokyo working as a graphic designer, illustrator, video artist and fine artist.
Hiroshi Tomihari	Born 1936	Woodcut printmaker
Susumu Shingu	Born 1937	Kinetic sculptor. His nature-inspired works are constructed of highly engineered materials, commonly steel and Teflon
Shotaro Ishinomori	1938–1998	Manga artist and mechanical designer of Cyborg 009 and Super Sentai (Goranger to J.A.K.Q.)
Junko Chodos	Born 1939	Mixed media artist residing in the United States
Kanda Nissho	1937–1970	Farmer and painter of agricultural scenes
Michiko Suganuma	Born 1940	Urushi lacquer artist, coating original technique to traditional Japanese-urushi
Tetsuya Noda	Born 1940	Print artist
Tadao Okazaki	Born 1943	Painter
Go Nagai	Born 1945	Manga artist and mechanical designer of Mazinger Z, Getter Robo and Devilman
Shigeru Nakanishi	Born 1946	Oil painter
Kiyoto Ota	Born 1948	Japanese-Mexican sculptor
Ryosuke Cohen	Born 1948	Mail artist
Naohisa Inoue	Born 1948	Surrealist painter of fantasy lands
Jin Homura	Born 1948	Oil painter, primarily in primary colors
Susumu Matsushita	Born 1950	Manga artist, air painter, character designer and concept artist
Minoru Ohira	born 1950	Japanese-born artist in California
Toeko Tatsuno	1950–2014	Abstract painter, printmaker, and professor at Tama Art University
Yasumasa Morimura	Born 1951	Appropriation artist
Katsura Funakoshi	Born 1951	Sculptor and printmaker
Yoshitaka Amano	Born 1952	Character designer, illustrator, printmaker, painter and sculptor
Shigeru Miyamoto	Born 1952	Video game artist, character designer, director and producer of Nintendo
Naoyuki Kato	Born 1953	Illustrator, focusing on mechanical designs and anime/manga concept art
Noriko Shinohara	Born 1953	Multi-disciplinary fine artist with drawing and printmaking series, "Cutie & Bullie".
Kenjiro Okazaki	Born 1955	Painter, sculptor, architect theorist
Tatsuo Miyajima	Born 1957	Conceptual artist based in Ibaraki, Japan
Hiroshi Senju	Born 1958, Tokyo	Painter, modernism expressed through ancient method of Japanese painting
Yoshiteru Otani	Born 1958	Cartoonist
Yoshitomo Nara	Born 1959	Pop artist
Yoshiko Shimada	Born 1959	Printmaker and video artist
Takeshi Motomiya	Born 1959	Abstract painter from Tokyo, living in Barcelona since 1986. Grandson of Japanese artists Migishi Setsuko and Migishi Kōtarō.
Osamu Sato	Born 1960	Digital artist, photographer, and composer
Hiroshi Ōnishi	1961–2011	Painter, professor at Tokyo University of the Arts
Naoko Tosa	Born 1961	Media artist
Takashi Murakami	Born 1962	Sculptor and painter, founder of the Superflat movement
Shiro Takatani	Born 1963	Visual artist
Minako Nishiyama	Born 1965	Contemporary painter and sculptor
Tomoko Takahashi	Born 1966	Installation artist based in London
Ryoji Ikeda	Born 1966	Visual artist
Mariko Mori	Born 1967, Tokyo, Japan	Highly celebrated contemporary video and photographic artist
Yoko Nagayama	Born 1968	Enka singer, J-pop idol, actress
Junichi Kakizaki	Born 1971, Nagano	Sculptor, floral artist, land and environmental artist focusing on floral design
Rokudenashiko	Born 1972	Sculptor and manga artist
Ryota Matsumoto	Birthdate unknown	Visual artist
Miya Ando	Born 1973	Award-winning Post-minimalist painter and sculptor working in aluminum, steel and glass
Mori Chack	Born 1973	Graphics designer
Chiharu Shiota	Born 1972	Visual artist
Chinatsu Ban	Born 1973	Painter and sculptor
Yurie Nagashima	Born 1973	Photographer, writer and curator
Tanabe Chikuunsai IV	Born 1973	Bamboo master and sculptor
Tetsuya Ishida	1973–2005	Contemporary Surrealist painter
Fuyuki Yamakawa	Born 1973	Sound and performance artist
Yutaka Inagawa	Born 1974	Painter, line artist, photographer producing digital collage
Chiho Aoshima	Born 1974	Pop artist in the Superflat movement
Aya Takano	Born 1976	Pop artist in the Superflat movement
Tetsuya Noguchi	Born 1980	Contemporary artist and sculptor
Tets Ohnari	Born 1980	Contemporary artist and sculptor living in Prague and Tokyo
Aki Sasamoto	Born 1980	Performance artist based in New York City
Nahoko Kojima	Born 1981	Contemporary paper cut artist, pioneered Kirie as sculpture
Kohei Fujito	Born 1983	Contemporary Ainu folk artist
Mitsunori Kimura	Born 1983	Japanese contemporary artist
Tsubasa Kato	Born 1984	Japanese contemporary artist
Mari Katayama	Born 1987	Japanese multimedia artist and photographer
You Shiina	Birthdate unknown	Japanese illustrator and manga artist
Yuki Iiyama	Born 1988	Japanese contemporary artist