Art is appreciated by many.
A wordless form of communication.
For a person who first that set foot in America
in 2002,
it was the one and only sanctuary
where I could shine despite my lack of knowledge in the English language.
Creating art is my way of being myself.
My goal is to create pieces that can
surprise, captivate, and excite the hearts
of even the most uninterested people.
This is why I create art.
Born in the Fukuoka prefecture of Japan, and now living in Los Angeles, CA. Akihito won the TV Champion's Special Effects Make-Up King Competition three years consecutively starting in 1988. In that same year, he also won the Avant-Gard Make-up competition at the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show.In the following years, Akihito shined as the main Kaiju Designer for Ultraman Cosmos.
In the following years, Akihito shined as the main Kaiju Designer for Ultraman Cosmos. After making the decision to move to America in 2002 to pursue a Hollywood career, he has found success as one of the key Special Effects Make-up Artist on many movies, including PACIFIC RIM, LOST WORLD, PREDATORS, NARNIA 1, 2, and 3, TERMINATOR SALVATION, TERMINATOR GENESIS, IRONMAN 2, SHUTTER ISLAND, and ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
PUBLISHED
2014
“Heart of Art” Akihito's first art book Released worldwide (15 countries including Japan). “Heart of Art”
AWARD
2018
-Dimensional “Statue of Peace” Selected work in SPECTRUM 25
2017
-Dimensional “Nephila” Silver Award Selected work in SPECTRUM 24
2016
-Dimensional “Death Wings” Selected work in SPECTRUM 23 The best contemporary Fantastic Art
2011
-Dimensional “Wind Messenger” Silver Award Selected work in SPECTRUM 18 The best contemporary Fantastic Art
2009
-Dimensional “Elegant Medusa” Gold Award Selected work in SPECTRUM 16 The best contemporary Fantastic Art
2008
-Dimensional “Heart of Art” Silver Award Selected work in SPECTRUM 15 The best contemporary Fantastic Art
2001
-Main designer of Ultraman Cosmos (Japan's famous super hero character loved by all the children in Japan as Superman is in the US) TV series (65 stories) in 2001
-Produced an original special make-up effects fashion show in the 200 Independent Movie Festival in Tokyo.
2000
-Won three consecutive victories for the Special Effects Make-up Artists Championship in Japan.
1999
-Won the first prize for the Avant-Garde category in the annual competition event at the 1999 International Make-up Artist Trade Show, California USA.
FILMOGRAPHY
After moving to the U.S. in 2002, I have been involved in the Hollywood film industry for over 15 years.
I have worked on many Hollywood films at major film special effects studios such as KNB, ADI, Spectral Motion, and Legacy Effects Studio. I have worked on a number of movies ranging from sculpting Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia, to a quarter size clay sculpture of the Queen Alien for Alien vs Predator, and eyeball and finger props for the background in Alice in Wonderland, just to name a few. How many of these movies have you seen?
