Shuichi Kusamori
Biography
Shuichi Kusamori (草森秀一), born in 1961 in Kanagawa Prefecture, is an art director. In many productions he is credited as Shuichi Hirata (平田秀一). After marriage he adopted the family name of his wife, Kusamori in 2012.
After studying at the Tokyo Designer College for two years he joined Studio SF for one year as an employee. Afterwards he began working as a freelance illustrator. Kusamori worked as a background artist on Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies (1988) under art director Nizo Yamamoto. Under the direction of art director Hiromasa Ogura he worked on Patlabor: The Movie (1989). Subsequently, with Production I.G he worked on Oshii’s following projects Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993) and Ghost in the Shell (1995). In 2006 he established his company Taro House, a two-person studio that he still runs with his wife today. He served as art director on Rintaro’s Metropolis (2001), based on Osamu Tezuka’s classic manga. His intricate texture work was an important pillar of Oshii’s Cannes nominated Innocence (2004), and of the Annecy selected XxxHolic: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2005), directed by Tsutomu Mizushima. His latest works as an art director include the Psycho-Pass series (2012) and consequent movie (2015), as well as the latest Psycho-Pass Movie: Providence (2023).
Kusamori works in both media, on paper and digitally.
Photos of Shuichi Kusamori by Yasuyuki Takagi, 2023
Available artwork
At Riekeles Gallery we’re proud to offer signed prints and poster editions of Shuichi Kusamori’s iconic background artwork.
Postcard
Format: A6 (10.5 x 14.8 cm)
Postcard derived from
Shūichi Kusamori’s original artwork Perdido Street Station, Scene No. 4
Original artwork: Gouache on paper
The four paintings in this series were created specifically for our exhibition Art for Animation: Shūichi Kusamori. They are inspired by China Miéville’s novel of the same name (Perdido Street Station, Macmillan, London, 2000).
In 2023, Stefan Riekeles spoke with the artist about the planned exhibition and suggested developing personal, self-initiated works to be shown alongside the commissioned pieces for anime. When asked about literary inspirations, Kusamori immediately named Miéville’s novel. The story is set in the fictional city of New Crobuzon—a dark, industrial place filled with fantastic creatures, magic, and machinery.
The depicted cityscapes are drawn from one of the book’s final chapters. They feature ornaments and small figures reminiscent of Kusamori’s drawings for Fuyu no O(Winter King) and his work on Metropolis. Over the years, the artist has developed his own visual language in which familiar forms, beings, and architectures reappear.
Notice #1: For logistical reasons, it hardly makes sense to order the card on its own. The shipping costs will be higher than the value of the product. Please consider this postcard an add-on to your purchase of artwork or books.
Notice #2: The stand ist not included.