Kudo, Muramasa

Muramasa Kudo was born near Tokyo in 1948 and spent his childhood years in Amori, a small and very beautiful city in rural northern Japan. At a very early age he was taught the love and appreciation of the simplest things in life. The beauty of nature provided inspiration and greatly influenced his desire to create.

At the age of seven the artist began his training in the highly disciplined art form of calligraphy and it soon developed into his passion and challenge.

At the age of thirteen a teacher secretly entered his work into Japans Youth Competition and out of hundreds of thousands of entries Muramasa took first place. The following year he took first place again in the International All Asian Competition.

Muramasa Kudo was then recognized as a World Class Master at the age of fifteen in the art of Calligraphy by the International World Committee Calligraphy Competition in which fourteen countries had entries and Muramasa took first place.

Muramasa has traveled extensively, developing his craft from experiences around the world. With his work being well received in America, he decided to settle in Los Angeles in 1980.

Muramasa Kudos work encompasses Classical, Japanese Noveau, Deco and Waterscapes, all manipulating the clean and simple line he was honored for so long ago in his calligraphy. His watercolors and sculptures have a serene elegant and sensual beauty, combining fantasy and illusion in his images.

Kudo is a Zen Philosopher and poet and the discipline shows through in his work and his life. The Zen Philosophy enables Kudo to focus himself, maintaining an inner balance and peacefulness that allows his creativity to emerge.

Muramasa has developed a technique that incorporates ancient Japanese methods of preparation to ready his paper for the watercolor vision that only he can see. The paper is prepared with dosa (Japanese sealant) that preserves the paper indefinitely preventing paper shrinkage, cracking and color fading. He holds as many as four brushes in his hand at once. He uses sumi inks and brushed imported from Japan. The calligraphic influence is seen most clearly in the strength and passion of the line drawings. His trained hand, meticulous to detail, drawings single, inbroken lines, steady and precise, and he has been compared to Picasso and Matisse for this unique talent. In his drawings he brings together sumi ink with chalk and oil pastels.

His spontaneous images are widely recognized as an outstanding contribution to the art world. Art is Line and Muramasa Kudo is a Master of Line.

Central Galleries has held exclusive exhibitions for Muramasa Kudo’s art with the artist present at the opening reception.

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