Japan

Ryosuke Nishioka was born on 24 July 1954 in Ondo-machi Oki-gun. He broke his neck when doing floor exercises during a gym lesson at the age of 17. He has since been unable to move his legs and has only minimal use of his arms. Subsequently, he spent two years at a rehabilitation centre for the severely disabled, where he also started to paint with his mouth. In 1981, he received a scholarship from the Association. Since 1994 he has been an Associate Member of the AMFPA. The drawings for children created as illustrations for children’s books are an original series of works by Ryosuke Nishioka.

Hironori Koshoji was born on 7 May 1963 in Miyazaki. In 1979, when he was sixteen years old, he injured his cervical vertebrae in an accident during a physical education lesson, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down. At the advice of his therapist, he made his first attempts at mouth painting which was the start of a new passion. Two years after his accident he received a scholarship from the Association and with it the opportunity to dedicate himself intensively to painting. In the year 2000, he was awarded the status of an Associate Member of the AMFPA.

Kiichiro Mizumura was born on 17 July 1946 in Tokyo. When he was ten years old, Mizumura lost both arms in an accident. Soon afterwards he began to draw and paint with his mouth. To improve his skills he attended a painting course taught by a well-known Japanese artist. In 1965, the AMFPA granted him a scholarship which enabled him to become more involved in painting. In 1973 he became a Full Member of the Association.

Born on 28 August 1951 in the Prefecture of Nagano, Eiichi Minami was seventeen years old and in third grade of High School when he suffered an accident in a judo competition in the Prefecture of Nagano in 1972. His spinal column was injured and his limbs remained completely paralysed. Eiichi Minami spent three years in hospital, and with rehabilitation therapy, he managed to move his arms slightly. For all the daily tasks, however, he requires help. Eiichi Minami was fond of painting even before his accident. For this reason, he took a brush into his mouth after being released from the hospital and started to paint this way. His first attempts were with watercolour, later he took up oil painting.