Meet the Artist Creating Humorous, Nihonga-Style Images of Daily Life with Their Rescue Cat

japanese art, design and culture

“This Sucks” by Poshichi | all images used with permission

Poshichi is a Japanese artist creating nihonga-style images of daily life. The digitally-rendered, anachronistic artworks often feature the artist’s cat in playful, humorous settings that are, at times, quiet and reflective while other times whimsical and even surreal. We spoke with the artist about their background, art style and, importantly, their cat.

in “Mistake” a woman stoops down to a cat in the rain, only to discover it was a plastic bag

Poshichi grew up around art. Their grandfather ran a small framing shop in rural Japan while their grandmother had an art degree and was an art teacher. An avid drawer, it seemed Poshichi was destined to become an artist. But life is not always so straightforward.

The budding artist went to an art high school but struggled. “A poster I spent the most time on, was the only one not selected for a contest,” the artist told us. “I really don’t have any fond memories.” And so Poshichi gave up on pursuing art as a career and decided to get a “regular” office job.

But Poshichi continued to stay connected with art, particularly at the insistence of a friend