Profile as a Manga Artist & Contemporary Painter 田村吉康 アーティストとしての活動と経歴
About (Artist Statement)
Yoshiyasu Tamura is a professional Manga Artist with experience serializing in Monthly Shonen Jump (Shueisha), one of Japan's most prominent manga magazines. Simultaneously, he is a painter who expands the context of manga into the realm of contemporary art.
At the core of his work lies the fusion of the "symbolic and flat depiction" characteristic of Japanese manga with the "tradition of space and color" found in Western and Japanese painting. Since 2011, he has exhibited extensively at art fairs and museums across Europe and worldwide. Notably, in 2014, he realized a collaboration with the fashion brand "McQ Alexander McQueen." Oscillating between the "reproducibility" of manga media and the "uniqueness (aura)" of painting, Tamura continues to question the relationship between "character" and "body" in the modern age.
田村吉康は、日本を代表する漫画雑誌『月刊少年ジャンプ』（集英社）での連載経験を持つプロフェッショナルな漫画家であり、同時にその文脈を現代アートの領域へと拡張させる画家です。 彼の作品の根幹には、日本のマンガが持つ「極めて記号的かつ平面的な描写」と、西洋絵画や日本画が持つ「空間と色彩の伝統」の融合があります。2011年よりヨーロッパ各地のアートフェアや美術館での展示を重ね、2014年にはファッションブランド「McQ Alexander McQueen」とのコラボレーションを実現。マンガというメディアが持つ「複製可能性」と、絵画が持つ「唯一性（アウラ）」の間を往還しながら、現代における「キャラクター」と「身体」の関係性を問い続けています。
Experience Summary (活動の軌跡)
Debut at Shueisha and Mastery of Technique
Tamura's career began in Tokyo, the heart of global manga culture. He debuted as a professional manga artist with Shueisha in 1997 and serialized "Fudegami" (筆神) in Monthly Shonen Jump in 2003. During his formative years, he honed his skills as an assistant in the studios of renowned artists such as Mari Yamazaki (Thermae Romae) and Norihiro Yagi (Claymore), establishing rigorous professional drawing techniques and composition skills. He has also built a significant track record in educational manga requiring precise historical research, such as the history series for Gakken Education Publishing.
Expansion to Europe and Sublimation into Contemporary Art
In the 2010s, Tamura expanded his base of operations globally. He participated in art fairs in Mexico, Switzerland, and the USA, and held a solo exhibition at the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence, Italy, in 2014. During this period, he provided artwork for the McQ Alexander McQueen 2014 Autumn/Winter collection, presented at Milan Fashion Week, proving the potential of manga expression in the fields of high fashion and fine art.
From "Icon-tact" to "Kusozu" — Deepening Themes
Currently, Tamura is represented by KYAS ART SALON in the Netherlands and FUMA Contemporary Tokyo in Japan. He is developing cross-genre expressions, including the large-scale solo exhibition series "Icon-tact" at Shinjuku Takashimaya and the "Takamagahara Project," a collaboration with Ukrainian photographer Marfa Vasilieva. In 2024, his solo exhibition "KUSOZU -THE 9 STAGES OF DECAYING CORPSE" reconstructed traditional Buddhist painting themes with a modern interpretation, constantly opening new horizons in his creative practice.
キャリアのスタートは、世界的なマンガ文化の中心地である日本・東京です。1997年に集英社にて漫画家としてデビューし、2003年には『月刊少年ジャンプ』にて「筆神」を連載。同時に、『テルマエ・ロマエ』のヤマザキマリ氏や、『CLAYMORE』の八木教広氏といった著名な作家の現場で腕を磨き、プロフェッショナルとしての厳格な作画技術と画面構成力を確立しました。また、学研教育出版の歴史漫画シリーズなど、正確な考証が求められる学習漫画の分野でも多くの実績を残しています。
ヨーロッパへの進出と、現代アートへの昇華
2010年代に入り、活動の拠点を世界へ広げます。メキシコ、スイス、アメリカなどのアートフェアに参加し、2014年にはフィレンツェのメディチ・リカルディ宮殿で個展を開催。この時期、ファッションブランド「McQ Alexander McQueen」の2014秋冬コレクションに作品提供を行い、ミラノコレクションで発表されるなど、マンガ表現の可能性をファッションや現代アートのフィールドで証明しました。
「Icon-tact」から「九相図」へ —— 深化するテーマ
近年は、オランダのKYAS ART SALON、および東京のFUMA Contemporary Tokyoに所属。新宿タカシマヤでの大規模な個展「Icon-tact」シリーズや、ウクライナの写真家Marfa Vasilievaとの共作「Takamagahara Project」など、ジャンルを超えた表現を展開しています。2024年には個展「KUSOZU -THE 9 STAGES OF DECAYING CORPSE」において、伝統的な仏教絵画のテーマを現代的な解釈で再構築するなど、その創作活動は常に新しい地平を切り拓いています。
Full Biography
Manga Artist Career
Serialization, Books & Publications
2025: Special interview article at Fumo di China Confini, Italy.
2019: Featured article "I miei manga si leggono sul cellulare" in the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
2018: PUBLISHED MANGA "DEVIL'S RELICS" FROM GLENAT/Fayard, FRANCE (Original work by Maître Gims, Rousseau / Drawing by Tamura Yoshiyasu).
2011: "Visual Sengoku Hero Series" (ビジュアル戦国英雄伝シリーズ) (Supervised by Atsushi Kawai, Gakken Education Publishing) - In charge of Manga production for all 5 volumes.
2010: "Japanese History Manga Biography: Sengoku Warlords Edition" (日本の歴史 まんが人物伝 戦国武将編) (Gakken Education Publishing) - Cover illustration.
2003-2004: Manga Series "Fudegami" (筆神) (Monthly Shonen Jump, Shueisha) - 2 Volumes (Published in Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, etc.).
2001: Manga Short Story Collection "Fudegami" (筆神) released (JUMP COMICS, Shueisha).
1997: Debut as a professional Manga Artist in Jump Magazine by Shueisha Company.
Painter Career
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024: "KUSOZU -THE 9 STAGES OF DECAYING CORPSE 2024" at EMPATHY GALLERY, TOKYO.
2024: Solo Exhibition at The Solo Project Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium.
2023: "A borderless journey -Expanding Manga’s horizons" at SHINJUKU TAKASHIMAYA DEPARTMENT STORE, TOKYO.
2023: "Icon-tact eternal beauty" at Kyas Art Salon, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2022: "ICON-TACT 2.0" at FUMA CONTEMPORARY TOKYO | BUNKYO ART.
2020: "ICON-TACT -New Horizons of Manga-" (ICON-TACT -マンガの新しい地平-) at SHINJUKU TAKASHIMAYA DEPARTMENT STORE, TOKYO.
2019: Solo Exhibition at SCOPE NEW YORK ART FAIR, USA.
2019: Solo Exhibition at VOLTA NEW YORK ART FAIR, USA (Two simultaneous solo shows in NY).
2018: "JOROGUMO" at KYAS ART SALON, AMSTERDAM.
2018: "TAKAMAGAHARA" at SHINJUKU TAKASHIMAYA, TOKYO.
2016: "ICON TACT" at FUMA CONTEMPORARY TOKYO.
2014: Exhibition "Personaggi - icone: dei fumetti giapponesi nella cultura mondiale" at Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Florence, Italy (First solo show in a Museum).
2014: Solo Exhibition at KYAS ART SALON, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2010: "Tamura Yoshiyasu World Exhibition" (田村吉康の世界展) at Seibu Numazu, Shizuoka, Japan.
2008: "Genesis - Tamura Yoshiyasu Exhibition" (創世記 田村吉康絵画展) at Daimaru Tokyo, Japan.
2002: "Genshi - Tamura Yoshiyasu Exhibition" (元始 田村吉康展) at Gallery Forest, Ginza, Tokyo (First Solo Exhibition).
Selected Group Exhibitions & Art Fairs
2025: "DREAMLAND AWAITS" at COREY HELFORD GALLERY, LOS ANGELES (Curated by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine).
2025: Exhibition at Kunstrai Art Fair, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2024: Exhibition at Art021, Shanghai, China.
2024: "FABLE & FOLKLORE" at Copro Gallery, Santa Monica, USA.
2023: "Serendipity" at Haven Gallery, New York, USA.
2022: Exhibition at ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA, Japan.
2021: Exhibition at Art Osaka / Art Art Kobe, Japan.
2019: WALL PAINTING FOR JAPANESE RESTAURANT "EZO" IN OSLO, NORWAY (2.5m x 20m mural).
2018: Exhibition at Art Formosa, Taipei, Taiwan.
2018: Exhibition at SCOPE Basel, Switzerland.
2018: Exhibition at IFSOWHAT Art Fair, San Francisco, USA.
2017: Exhibition at SCOPE Basel, Switzerland / Young Art Taipei, Taiwan.
2016: Exhibition at CONTEXT Art Miami, USA.
2016: Exhibition at MEDIATIONS BIENNALE, Poznan, Poland.
2016: Exhibition at OSTRALE ART FESTIVAL, Dresden, Germany.
2016: Exhibition at Rotterdam Contemporary Art Fair, The Netherlands.
2015: LIVE PAINTING at Pow! Wow! Japan, Tokyo (10m mural).
2015: Exhibition at Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London / New York.
2015: Exhibition at Art Hampton, New York, USA.
2014: Collaboration with McQ Alexander McQueen 2014 AW Collection (Milan Collection).
2012: Exhibition at SCOPE Basel, Switzerland.
2012: Exhibition at The Armory Show, New York, USA.
2012: Exhibition at ZONA MACO, Mexico City, Mexico.
2011: Exhibition at The Volta Show, Basel, Switzerland.
2011: Exhibition at Art Platform, Los Angeles, USA.
2011: Exhibition at Art Taipei, Taiwan.
2006: Exhibition at World Artist Festival, Seoul, Korea.
Art Books & Awards
2023: "TAKAMAGAHARA PROJECT" (Kyas Art Salon) - Collaboration with Marfa Vasilieva.
2023: Exclusive interview in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine (10th anniversary edition).
2022: "Icon-tact 2.0" (Kyas Art Salon).
2021: Selected by Winsor & Newton as “Our Featured Artist”.
2020: "Icon-tact" (Kyas Art Salon).