TAISHI
TAKIMOTO

Artist ISSUE 3 2025 AW

Taishi Takimoto is a young Japanese painter who creates a monochrome world in which the serenity and strength of mountains coexist. Based in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, he allows his imagination to roam, hiking through the mountains and tracing the courses of rivers. Immersing himself in nature, he occasionally adopts a bird’s-eye perspective, expanding the horizons of Japanese painting with his fresh and inventive vision. His documentary-style works, which trace the “facts” of the mountains rather than his personal emotion, have attracted considerable attention. This article explores his calm yet flexible approach.

“I’ve loved drawing since I was a child,” says Japanese painter Taishi Takimoto. “When I played with my siblings, we would draw together. I also went to calligraphy classes and enjoyed using ink to create pictures as a form of play.” He explains that he wanted to become a painter from an early age, so he studied Japanese painting at university and in graduate school, beginning his career as an artist after graduation. Having spent his student days in Tsukuba, he is now based in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture. 

“When I was looking for a place to create my work, I heard that Kasama City supports artists who move here, so I decided to relocate. Many people involved in creative activities, such as potters, manga artists, and designers live nearby, which has helped my network expand. It’s also close to the city center, which makes living here very convenient.”

What strongly attracts Takimoto is nature, with mountains currently being his primary subject. After graduating from university and returning to his hometown of Miyazaki, he was captivated by the beautiful, mist-covered scenery of the Kirishima mountains, which he had once climbed on a whim.

“To be honest, right after graduate school, I was content to paint anything. But because Japanese painting uses mineral pigments ground from stone, I felt they were perfectly suited for depicting mountains. After all, I grew up in the countryside of Miyazaki, where mountains were a constant and familiar presence. I enjoy climbing them, not just for my art, but simply because it’s fun. I don’t have a lot of physical strength, so it can be demanding on the body, which helps me set aside unnecessary thoughts. Climbing clears my head; whenever I feel burdened by too many ideas, I retreat to the mountains. I also love visiting art museums. When I encounter works by different artists, I occasionally feel inspired to emulate them. But when I’m walking in the mountains, my thoughts just fall into place.”

He finds value in climbing not as a search for ideas, but as a way to clear his mind and change his mood. Takimoto, who dislikes contrived harmony in his work, does not sketch in the mountains either. He simply savors them.

“If you climb with a fixed purpose, you end up producing only what you can foresee. I approach the experience hoping that something unexpected will connect. On high mountains especially, when the mist rolls in, everything vanishes in an instant. I don’t believe the depth of the mountains can be conveyed by merely reproducing what is before your eyes—that would make me uneasy. When I am on-site, I concentrate on my feelings.”

Drawn to the mountains, Takimoto turned to landscape painting to connect his fascination with nature to his art. Specializing in monochrome works, he uses traditional Japanese painting materials like mineral pigments on washi paper to depict natural phenomena, as if reliving these experiences.

“Landscape painting has a very storied history, and I feel it is difficult to revamp it for a modern context. So recently, I’ve been exploring other forms of expression. I’m currently in the process of creating new works, releasing them, and listening to the opinions of others as I seek new possibilities.”

He has moved back and forth between the world of traditional Japanese painting and its techniques. By taking a bird’s-eye view of his own practice, he has pushed ahead, opening new horizons.

“I started creating black-and-white works about four or five years ago. I’m aware that I have little sense of color, so I don’t see the point in trying to overcome that. Besides, with Japanese painting materials, there are several types of black ink, and the tone of black mineral pigments varies according to the coarseness of the particles. I find these variations deeply compelling, which is why I decided to paint in monochrome.”

Although Takimoto’s works may appear improvisational, they are created using meticulously calculated Japanese painting techniques. He visualizes the entire process in advance—from the application of the base coat to the layering of pigment—and conducts repeated small-scale experiments before approaching the final piece.

“Once I start painting, it’s difficult to make corrections, so I create many preparatory sketches and try to conceal the calculations. I often think it looks far more compelling if the finished work seems to be the product of spontaneous extemporization.”

In 2023, he participated in an artist-in- residence program at the Kumonodaira Mountain Lodge in the Northern Alps. This experience inspired one of his most notable series, Trace. Based on 3D data of the mountain trails he walked in Kumonodaira, Takimoto traced the contours onto washi paper using ink polished with spring water. As he worked, he reflected on those who had trodden these paths in the past, engaging with the history and the traces embedded in the place. As he learned more about Kumonodaira, his thoughts turned to issues such as the management and upkeep of hiking trails , wooden walkways, the history of national parks and the differing perspectives between countries. He came to recognize the significance of the costs and labor required to maintain the trails and began to feel that the spectacular views of the Northern Alps were more than simply beautiful.

“Staying at a mountain lodge for work means that the tools and materials I can carry are limited. I felt that these constraints led to new forms of expression. This was especially true of the Trace series. Rather than conveying myself or my emotions through the work, I want to capture the essence of the place itself. If I were to compare it to cinema, it would be closer to a documentary than a narrative film. It’s like reporting on my experiences and on the challenges the mountains face. My aim is to capture only the facts, not my emotions; I don’t think my feelings need to be reflected in the work.”

Takimoto stayed in Kumonodaira for around ten days. He recalled that the conversations he had with people from diverse backgrounds were stimulating—a welcome change from his everyday life in Kasama.

“That’s the real thrill of a residency, isn’t it? It’s exciting to think about what one might achieve depending on the place one chooses to stay. I’d rather travel somewhere far away than remain close to home, because I feel I will encounter things I’ve never seen before. I also have high expectations for how such experiences will ultimately connect to my work.”

At present, Takimoto is obsessed with kayaking. During a residency in Hokkaido in the depths of winter, he paddled down the Kushiro River in a canoe in temperatures of ˗20°C and felt utter exhilaration.

“There are rivers suitable for kayaking in Ibaraki, where I live, so I immediately purchased a single-seater kayak. The unique sensation of floating so close to the surface of the water feels almost mysterious, and I am acutely aware of the presence of living creatures. It’s a completely different sensation from mountain climbing. Someone once told me that water, mountain forms, topographic maps, and even tree rings are all, in the end, formed by water, and I found that very persuasive. I think rivers and other bodies of water would be an interesting subject, but for now, I want to focus on mountains without spreading myself too thin.”