Kaneko Tomiyuki

Tomiyuki Kaneko (b. 1978, Saitama, Japan) graduated with a PhD in Japanese painting from the Graduate School of Tohoku University of Art & Design, Yamagata prefecture in 2009. Kaneko continuously challenges himself by exploring themes that many nihonga (Japanese painting) artists avoid, such as yokai (supernatural creatures), specters and deities—making him a truly unique presence even within the diverse field of contemporary nihonga. Having been fascinated by the unique traditional deities and yokai of particularly localities since early childhood, and sensing the presence of unseen, unknown beings in nature, Kaneko aspired to become a nihonga painter to express this spiritual world. Today, he lives and works in Yamagata, where he continues to explore not only depictions of yokai, specters, demons and deities from mythology, but also spiritual beings rooted in Buddhist and Hindu theology.