​

1939年(昭和14年) 新潟県柏崎市に生まれる。

本名　坂井 勝利

幼少期より、絵を描く事に没頭し

叔父の日本画家、坂井 草子に師事をしながら画家への志しを固め

18才で上京、中央美術学園　美術講座　受講。

肺結核を患い療養の為、柏崎へ一時帰郷。

入院生活ながらこの時、のちに妻となるハルヨと出会う。

病気完治後、東京へ戻り仕事の傍ら絵を描き続ける中、

柏崎から追って上京してきたハルヨと再会、ほどなくして結婚。

粟津画廊へ入り、取引のある高名な日本画家の所をまわり

絵の具溶きなど、制作雑事を手伝いながら自らの画技、見識を

高めていく。

しかし、そこで目の当たりにした画壇の世界にもどかしさを感じ、

何気なく出版社に送った一枚の絵が風俗雑誌編集者の眼に止まり

スカウトされ、出版挿絵に着手する。

画廊への配慮から本名は使えないので、夫人ハルヨが美容師で

背が小さかったためそれにちなみ、小妻 容子、という画号をつけ

緊縛画　責め絵の世界へと入り込んでいく。

異端でありながらも高い美意識と培った画力で、

読者の支持を拡げていった。

そんな折、新たな雑誌の立ち上げで表紙画の依頼をめぐり

先輩画家と競う機会を与えられる。

アイディアを凝らし、当時の点描画法での女性に刺青を描き入れた

事で絵にインパクトをもたらし、選ばれて採用され表紙を飾った。

これを機に刺青文化にも傾倒していく事となる。

その後、小妻 容子、の子の字を取って要に変えた、小妻 要。

二つの画号を使い分け、風俗、風刺、サスペンス等、多様なジャンルに

対応し描き続ける。

刺青画の表現も更に模索していき、国内外の刺青師との交流で

研鑽を積み、その世界観を深め高めていく。

自身の創造で刺青を描く他、本物の刺青を背負った女性もモデルにし

虚実混ぜ合わせそれを、ある時は華麗かつ毒々しく、ある時は

淫靡で妖艶な縛り姿と、刺青美人画というジャンルを確立していく。

彫師や愛好家からも下絵の依頼も受け、英雄、豪傑、神仏、神獣、

伝記、伝説など日本刺青の伝統的な題材も手がけた。

刺青画に小妻あり一　永きに渡りその存在を知らしめてきたが、

晩年頃は元来の日本画家としての才腕を発揮。

絵絹に描いた本画のジグソーパズルを始め、タペストリー、トラック、

スノーボードのプリントデザインや着物、小物への手描き作品など

数多く残した。

2011年(平成23年)　東京江戸川区 北篠崎にて 永眠

​

TEXT By 龍志（尾川　龍治）

​

Kaname Ozuma was born in Kashiwazaki city, Niigata prefecture, Japan in 1939.
His birthname is Katsutoshi Sakai.
Since he was a child, Ozuma Kaname immersed himself in drawing, and he studied under the
direction of his uncle Soushi Sakai, a Japanese-style painter.
He set his heart on becoming an artist. His determination to follow this path led him to Tokyo,
where at the age of 18, he began his study at Chuoh Art School. However, he suffered from
pulmonary tuberculosis and returned to Kashiwazaki city temporarily for recuperation.
While he was hospitalized he met his future wife, Haruyo.
After the disease was completely cured he returned to Tokyo to continue painting.
He reunited with Haruyo, who followed him from Kashiwazaki to Tokyo, and soon after they
were married.
He interned at the Awazu Gallery, where he visited famous Japanese painters with whom he
had business relationships, helping them with their production tasks, such as melting paints,
while improving his own painting skills and insight.
During this time he began to feel frustrated with the world of the art world he witnessed there,
he drew a picture and casually sent it to a publishing company, where it caught the attention of
the adult entertainment magazine editor.
It was published, and from that point he started to work as an art illustrator.
Since he could not use his real name out of consideration for the gallery, he made his artist
name Yoko Ozuma. For his first name, he used Yo from the word “biyo” which means “beautiful
appearance”, He added “Ko” to the end, which is often added to the end of female Japanese
names. For his last name Ozuma, he chose O, meaning “small”, and “zuma”, meaning “wife”,
as his wife was small, and worked in the beauty industry. Since then began to enter the world
of bondage and torture paintings.
Although he was unorthodox, he still garnered support from readers because of his beautiful
artwork. He was even given the opportunity to compete with a senior painter to create the
cover illustration of a new magazine. He was even given the opportunity to compete with a
senior painter to create the cover illustration of a new magazine.
He gave it twist on his idea and brought impact to the picture by drawing tattoos on women
using the pointillism of the time, which was successfully selected and graced the cover of the
magazine.
This was the beginning of his devotion to the tattoo culture.
He dropped the “Ko” from his name “Yoko”, and changed the Chinese character from 容 (yo) to
要 (Yo). The latter Yo (要) is also read as “Kaname”. This became his final pen name. He
used both names to separate his work genre and continued to produce various pieces for
tattoo designs, caricatures, suspense, etc.
He also sought out more ideas for tattoo art by interacting with a wide variety of tattoo artists
from Japan and abroad.
In addition to drawing tattoos of his own creation, he also used a woman with a real tattoo as a
model, mixing reality and fiction, bewitchingly tied up with rope, creating a brilliant, poisonous
effect. This new style of the tattooed beauty women was rare and suggestive.
Furthermore, he received requests for sketches from tattooers. He worked on
traditional Japanese tattoo subjects such as Hero, Great Man, Shintoism and Buddhism,
Mythical Creatures, Folklore and other legendary figures.
Ozuma became the face of Japanese “tattooed art” painter. He had been recognized as an
accomplished “tattooed beauty women” painter for many years, but soon became recognized as
one of the most accomplished and original Japanese artists, as well.
He left his work behind on tapestries, trucks, snowboards, kimono and accessories, and jigsaw
puzzles on silk canvas. He was laid to rest in Kita-Shinozaki, Edogawa Tokyo in 2011.

​

Text RYUSI (Ryuji Ogawa)

Translation　Tamaki Sakura

​

​

​