Renowned judoka siblings Hifumi Abe and his younger sister, Uta, have towered over their competitors, winning gold medals and world championships. 

Now, they loom large over their hometown in Kobe. 

On July 26, a giant artwork inspired by Hifumi Abe vividly emerged on the wall of Shinko Gakuen High School in Kobe's Chuo Ward when the scaffolding covering the building’s surface was dismantled.

The mural featuring the academy's alumnus measures 10 meters tall and 15 meters wide, and word quickly spread about it.

“One visitor has come all the way here from Shiga Prefecture” to see the mural, said a representative of Shinko Gakuen High School.

The graffiti project was proposed by Adidas Japan KK in Tokyo, as the sport brand had signed up Abe. The judoka won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, which opened the same day.

The image of Uta Abe, who alike competed in the sporting extravaganza as a member of Japan’s national team, was painted on a five-story building along the Suidosuji shopping arcade in Kobe's Nada Ward around that time.

They are part of a succession of massive artistic murals that have popped up on urban buildings across the Kansai region in western Japan this past summer under the campaign mounted by a startup in Osaka.

The artworks appeared in a range of locations, including the high school, a bank branch and a park facility, at the request of various clients. Artists involved varied from project to project.

Wall Share Inc. in Osaka arranged for the paintings to be showcased on structures in Kansai, hoping to show off the appeal of mural art.

In August, three other murals similarly appeared in Osaka's Higashi-Sumiyoshi Ward. Two can be found at facilities on the grounds of the Nagai Park, while the other sits on Kansai Mirai Bank’s Hari-Nakano branch.

The paintings were set up under a joint endeavor by the park’s operator and Kansai Mirai Bank, so the local community would be enlivened through art.

Adjustments for the installations of all these artistic productions were made by mural producer Wall Share, whereas the murals were painted by different creators under differing themes.

Wall Share was founded by Takanobu Kawazoe, who currently serves as CEO, in 2020. The aim was introducing the popular mural culture of the United States and Europe to Japan on a broad scale.

Kawazoe, 34, refers businesses and other entities to artists upon request. His company gathers information on the locations of walls that could be utilized as canvases, too.

That way, murals have been incorporated into a total of 160 sites throughout Japan, including the Kanto region, to date. As many as 60 artists have been involved in Wall Share’s drive so far.

As Wall Share receives a growing number of inquiries and orders, an additional 11 works were completed between July and August this year.

Of these, nine are located in Osaka and Kyoto prefectures. Kawazoe explained that property owners in Kansai willingly accept offers in many cases, if asked to lease out their properties for canvases. 

“They have a higher consciousness and a deeper understanding of exciting events and adventurous programs,” said Kawazoe.

In the latest endeavor of Wall Share in Kansai, a mural was painted by a Polish artist on a building’s wall in Osaka's Konohana Ward on Aug. 7. The mural was proposed by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) to Wall Share.

Many regions across Poland are thriving with mural culture, and a significant number of people are actively engaged in that art form as creators.

Looking to participate in the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025, Poland wanted to commission a mural by a Polish artist in the Japanese city.

For that reason, a building near the expo’s venue on Yumeshima island in Konohana Ward was selected by Kawazoe for the painting.

MURAL DIPLOMACY

Yet the project did not end there. Kawazoe called for Japan and Poland to enhance their bonds via mural art.

“Exchanges through murals looked very fun,” Kawazoe recalled.

His suggestion was to get a Japanese artist to leave a mark in Poland in return as part of “mural diplomacy.”

A 27-meter-tall mural was completed on Aug. 31 by a creator hailing from Osaka Prefecture on a building at Bialystok in northeastern Poland.

The design combined a symbol based on a traditional Japanese pattern with the logo for the Polish pavilion for the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

In reference to this mural diplomacy on its website, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency said the endeavor further strengthened bilateral ties between Japan and Poland.

On returning from Europe in mid-September, Kawazoe immediately started preparing for his latest mural program to erect wall art pieces in Osaka, Hyogo and Okayama prefectures.

Kawazoe is dreaming of spreading mural culture as an art form for the public to enjoy on a wider scale in Japan, sharing his positive message with people.