Shibata Zeshin is revered as history’s greatest lacquer artist, recognized worldwide for his detailed lacquered boxes, panels, sword mounts, and other objects, as well as scrolls painted in both ink and lacquer.

Famous as the Master of Urushi, Zeshin was born in Tokyo when it was still called Edo on March 15, 1807.

Takashi Murakami is acclaimed for his contemporary Pop synthesis of fine art and popular culture, particularly his use of a boldly graphic and colorful anime and manga cartoon style.

One of the biggest name in the contemporary art world, Murakami was born on February 1, 1962, in Tokyo, Japan.