ABOUT

HIROKI KATAYAMA

Hiroki Katayama (born Kouki Katayama) started working as an art director while still a student at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Throughout his career in art direction, he received numerous prestigious awards domestically and internationally. But his real passion did not start until much later in life, expressing his unique spiritual experiences through drawings. His themes of drawing are wide in range, and includes Nature, Universe, God, and Spirituality. Though he left this world in 1993 at the age of 56, his paintings had never seen the public light until today.

PROFILE

1937

Born March 26th, 1937 in Kumamoto, Japan
Birth Name: Kouki Katayama
Raised by grandparents from an early age

1963

Graduated Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts (Design)
Joined Hakuhodo (Global top ten integrated marketing solutions company)

1967

Departed Hakuhodo to start his own design company

( 1963-1990　Received many prestigious awards domestically and internationally as art director )

1989

His passion for drawing grew around this time

1990

Although he was busy as art director he pursued his passion for drawing. His themes covered a wide range of topics, from Nature and the Universe, to God and Spirituality. He drew on various materials such as canvas cloth, paper, stone, and acrylic gouache. He also designed and created a special painting device using a wooden board and shamisen strings.

1991

He started to develop a dependency to alcohol, and began to see hallucinations. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His passion for drawing never stopped, and he continued to draw even after his major surgery, recovering at home.

1992

His cancer developed but he kept drawing, using a single fountain pen and a small sketch book at the hospital bed. Most of his pointillism (dot) drawings were created during this time.

1993

He left this world on Oct 31st, 1993, on the day of an especially bright full moon. He was just 56. Until the end, he never let go of his pen.

MAJOR AWARDS & WORKS

1965

Magazine Advertising Award for Saitama Bank Advertising Campaign, 6 consecutive years / Awarded Grand Prize for Advertising for Consumer, 6 consecutive years

1977

Awarded Silver Prize for International Calendar Award for Honda Motor Co.

1978

Worked on Fuji Film’s RD100 campaign

1982

Awarded Silver Prize at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for Onward-Kashiyama TV commercial "THE MANNEKIN - PISS FOUNTAIN"

1984

Executive producer for Jean Paul Gaultier’s Japan landing campaign (-1986) Awarded many prizes

1985

Planning of release of the famed Suntory MALT'S Beer, which he named.

1986

Packaging Design and Art Direction for Marui Department store Awarded the Grand Prize from the Clio Awards for this project.

1989

Total production and direction of Christian Lacroix’s Japan landing campaign

In addition to the above, he has received numerous other awards, and has acted as producer and art director to various advertising campaigns for Japanese corporations.