Featured Artists
Ichiro Kumiji
汲地 一郎
Hiroshima, Japan
“From my home in Hiroshima, I hope to do everything that I could with little power that I have to create future for Japan.”
Kenji Notani
野谷 顕次
Los Angeles, California
“I devote myself to my work each and every day with a wish that one day I will be able to express the wonders of their presence that continues to speak to me, and that is what I hope to share with those with kind and earnest heart.”
RITZCO
Los Angeles, California
Born in Matsuyama Japan, RITZCO has been drawing and designing characters for as long as she can remember. A deep passion for design coupled with undeniable skill lead her to the well known Matsuyama Design School where she trained under the revered Japanese animator Yusaku Sakamoto.
On March 11, 2011, a massive 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Japan, destroying cities and taking thousands of lives. As of today, the number of deaths has exceeded 13,000, with 15,000 still missing and more than 200,000 without homes.
After the quake, as a company consisting of Japanese expatriates living in Los Angeles, California, USA, we put our heads together to come up with something we can do to support long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts in Japan. And
RiseUp Japan was born.
RiseUp Japan is a social business project produced by ImpressionArt Collection. Building on years of experiences working with artists both in Japan and in the United States, we intend to introduce to the world original merchandises in collaboration with selected Japanese artists. All artists featured on our site generously participate in this project royalty-free. 10% of profits is donated to local charity organizations in the affected area to ensure timely utilization of the funds.
We hope to accomplish two things from RiseUp Japan.
- Generate a long-term source of funding for the affected in Japan by selling high-quality, artistic, original merchandises. People will be purchasing our products, not because it is for charity, but because they think they are cool.
- Generate excitement around Japan’s creative talent in the U.S. market and beyond. Having Japanese artists recognized internationally will provide “GENKI (spiritual boost)” that Japan needs so much.
We welcome you to check us out. Hopefully you will like what you see. Be cool, be fashionable, while doing good.
japanizmo launched [Staff Blog]
