About

From Art to Life

In the Showa era, there was a small shop on the corner of a town called “Kadoya” that sold bread, tobacco, and other daily necessities. As time passed, the place became vacant and I moved in.

My career began with art, mostly installation work. While contemplating how to bridge the gap between art and everyday life, I passed by a different street one day and came across a house with a storefront with a vacant sign. I then opened “KADOYA Kobo” (KADOYA Studio), almost a general store, as an easy-to-entry gallery/atelier that anyone could feel free to visit.

KADOYA: A Meeting Place

Domestic and foreign interior items, kitchenware, clothing, antiques, and handcrafts were lined up, and visitors could see the progress of two-dimensional and three-dimensional works made by me, my friends, and neighborhood children.

KADOYA soon started attracting neighbors, mainly children, and I held a summer festival to show my appreciation (food stalls set up with the help of flatmates and friends were popular). Since many people came to chat, soft drinks were sold after the summer festival so that people could take a break.

Children from the neighborhood visited almost every day, and many visitors stayed for a long time, so the attic was later renovated to create a secret base that could be used by anyone, adults or children, when they wanted to be alone.

Later, a guesthouse was also started in a vacant room in the living spaces. KADOYA became a place for travelers to return to, for neighbors to gather, and for exchange between travelers, residents, and restaurants in the neighborhood.

Journey Continues

Nearly 10 years later, I closed KADOYA when I was given the chance to complete a sculpture I was working on at the time in a foreign country. According to what I hear, a new resident has moved in there who is now running a wonderful shop that is loved by the locals.
My journey has taken longer than I expected and is still continuing. Just when I thought I had settled down, I moved on, and meeting and parting with people in various places, I began to think about what I could do as a migratory butterfly.
During my travels, I search for craftspeople and workshops, and when I find meaningful connections, I stay in that town for a while to create. I created this site because I thought it would be possible to write something like a letter to people I met in the past, whom I don’t know if I’ll ever see again, and people in the future whose paths might cross temporarily.
As the things I’ve made and the stories of encounters have increased, I’m happy to be able to share them through this website.