misaki hanazuka
1982 Born in Gifu, Japan
2005 Graduated from Tokyo Gakugei University, Department of Arts and Culture,Major in Japanese Painting
2020 Studied under sumi-e artist ShuKo Tsuchiya
2023 Awarded the Grand Prize at Bokusenkai 2023 Exhibition
2024 First solo exhibition “Kyōkai (Boundaries)”
2025 Exhibited in “BLOOM! 2025” at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, USA
Japanese Ink Painter
Rooted in the traditional ink painting techniques inherited from the lineage of Maruyama Ōkyo and guided by my somatic knowledge as a yoga instructor, my work explores the potential inherent in the present moment.
I regard the body as a repository of memories beyond the individual. Each stroke emerges from the kinetic chain of the entire body—not merely the hand. Such mark-making reveals a quality distinctly different from gestures limited to the fingertips.
Ink flows organically across washi paper. Even when I hold a clear image of a representational form, its final appearance remains unknown until the very moment it is painted.
This layering of body and medium is an attitude of inquiry—an exploration of the boundary between human and nature, and an attempt to make visible the relationship between chance and inevitability.
In an age where AI and digital technologies increasingly streamline perception and decision-making, I intentionally choose ink and the body—both ambiguous, sensory media—to reconsider what it means to create and perceive through the body.
The monochrome palette and the white space of paper serve as mechanisms for distancing from the over-information of contemporary society. These margins engage the viewer’s own memories and imagination; each work is ultimately completed in their presence.
Rather than offering a one-sided expression from the artist, the artwork arises through interaction. It comes into being through the relational space it shares with others.
For me, creation is a continuous practice of momentarily stepping away from personal narratives and embracing the possibilities that emerge in the here and now.
Through the language of ink painting, I extend that gaze outward—toward the world.
Through the language of ink painting, I extend that gaze outward—toward the world.
It is, in the truest sense, my greatest love.
Residency History
2012-2013 Yangon, Myanmar
2018-2019 Barcelona, Spain
Living both in Japan and abroad has cultivated a perspective that weaves together the inner self and the surrounding environment.This has become a compass for navigating multilayered modes of perception.
Teaching & Workshops
• Instructor, Seijo Gakuen Junior High School, Asuka Mirai High School (Kannai Campus）
• Meet the Creators sumi-e workshop at Daikanyama Teens Creative
• Host of Morning Flow online yoga class
Qualifications
• Certified Color Coordinator (1st Grade, Encouragement Award)
• RYT 200 Certified Yoga Instructor (Flow Style Yoga, Yin Yoga, and more)
By “awakening,” I do not mean reaching some lofty state, but rather being fully present—liberated from the narratives of past and future. Kū, as expressed in “form is emptiness, emptiness is form,” refers to the idea that all phenomena lack inherent substance and exist only through relationships. Fixed notions of self quietly dissolve through the embodiment of awakening and the understanding of kū, becoming pure potential in constant flux.
The memories of my childhood in the mountains and rivers of Gifu still carry the texture of earth, water, and wind. What I felt then was a sense of unity in which “I” could simply exist as part of the whole. That immeasurable emptiness embodied by nature still guides me today. When I seek direction, I return to deep forests or places with beautiful water.
Through my own sense of presence, I depict the world’s potential.
Creation, for me, is the highest form of love.