Muto Junkyu (1950 –   ) The world of Muto Junkyu

Muto Junkyu is a Japanese sculptor originally from Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. He relocated to Europe and created marvellous masterpieces such as Circle Wind-PAX 2000, which was installed at the Papal Palace in the Vatican, and Circle Wind-PAX 2005. In 2021 3.11 Circle Wind 2011 was installed at the National Memorial Park in Ishinomaki to commemorate the victims of the tsunami of 2011.

Muto read Design at Tokyo University of Fine Art. Although it was not his major, he also learned oil and Japanese painting at school.  From his perspective there is no border between painting and sculpture. Even though he was studying design as his major, he chose to create an oil painting as his final project. For him, painting was the doorway to becoming an artist. After his graduation he moved to Europe to develop his own style of figurative paintings and established his name as an artist with his fresco Reminiscent of Walls.

He thinks paintings are mysterious in their contradiction of being able to create multi-dimensional space on a two-dimensional canvas. He called this freedom of the canvas his “Secret of Garden” and enjoyed playing in paintings but ultimately decided to move into sculpture to lift his creations out of the canvas and into the three-dimensional natural world that inspires him. He sees his role as an artist is to express his imagination but he gives the viewer freedom to explore the art he creates and find its worth with their own eyes.

Muto Junkyu lost his father when he was young and was brought up by his strict mother who taught him ink calligraphy. He suffered from sickness in childhood. While he was confined to his bed for what felt like an eternity, he developed a habit of having conversations with nature.

For him, the most beautiful things in the world are found in nature.  He says we can learn lots of things from nature and spirits exist in nature, therefore he tries to hear the voice from the stone before carving. This animistic belief is found in Japanese Shintoism and has a strong influence in his creative process. 

Muto Junkyu accepts nature positively as it is. To create nature, he waits with patience until nature comes to him. He works in harmony with nature. His series “Circle of Wind” gives form to the invisible breeze. It cautions us against anthropocentrism and fosters a hope of  people living in greater harmony with nature.