The most important thing in life is to be able to enjoy innocence, healing, and hope
——Shinji Kato
More than 30 picture books, more than 15,000 product designs, and the top 3 in international influence!
Ultraman, Pokémon... Major IPs are vying to cooperate! He once exploded and changed "Little Red Riding Hood" and resonated with tens of millions of people! Because of a solo exhibition, it directly caused a sensation in a city! He is Shinji Kato.
Shinji Kato's "healing" world
If you weren't a die-hard fan of Mr. Kato, you might wonder how such a few simple children's illustrations could be so popular.
But in fact, Mr. Kato started painting at the age of 6 and is now 75 years old, and he has been devoted to his love for more than half a century.
Mr. Kato's paintings are not so much about paintings, but rather about creating a world where both children and adults can feel "healed" when they enter it.
· Shinji Kato's Picture Book ·
When other children were still ignorant, Mr. Kato found his own path in life - to become a painter. Under his pen, he has created more than 30 picture books so far.
There is a simple story but children can harvest "What is this?What is that?".
There are healing "Someday We Will Meet", "Mogumogu's Dim Sum", and "Full Pockets".
There is also the popular king "Little Red Riding Hood", Mr. Kato rearranged the originally somewhat imperfect ending into a warm and healing story.
In these works, we can easily feel that each picture book has refreshing colors and smooth lines, which further highlights the warmth, healing and innocence of the story.
Reading Kato-sensei's picture books, it was as if I hadn't grown up yet, listening to the kindest elders in the family slowly telling me a story by the warm winter fireplace.
During the period from opening the picture book to closing it, no matter how old or young the reader is, all they can feel is "innocence and healing", and this is exactly what Mr. Kato wants to convey to us through the brush - "The most important thing in life is to enjoy innocence, healing, and hope".
· Major IPs compete with it ·
In addition, Mr. Kato is also the object of cooperation with major well-known IPs.
The cute and cute Pixar series of animated toys to Story, the Pipadine bear with its own Ying's DNA, Ultraman with contrasting cuteness, and the cute and well-behaved cherry Maruko.
I have to say that Mr. Kato is very good at grasping the characteristics of the characters, flattening the 3D image, and fine-tuning the details and colors of the characters' faces, so that these well-known classic characters have new vitality and cuteness.
· Cultural and creative grocery series, healing people's hearts ·
In addition to more than 30 picture books and countless classic IPs, Mr. Kato has continued to contribute to "his own healing world" in the past 60 years, and he has also designed more than 10,000 cultural and creative groceries.
Hearing this, Rizhan Jun couldn't help but admire: Is there really no creative bottleneck in this?
I finally know why Mr. Kato is known as one of Japan's top illustrators.
Because I felt that picture books may be more about creating a warm world for children, but in his other creations over the decades, I have also seen the healing fairy tales he created for adults.
Mr. Kato came to Chengdu to hold an exhibition!
This time, Mr. Kato came to Chengdu, China for the first time to hold a solo exhibition, and worked hand in hand with Chenguang Stationery to once again deliver the "healing fairy tale world" to each of us, and we were also fortunate to have an in-depth interview with Mr. Kato.
A1: I didn't deliberately form a style, but formed it naturally in the creative process, and I didn't deliberately want to change my style, but the core spirit that I have always wanted to convey is warm and healing.
(See left for more)
A2: The ending of Little Red Riding Hood's story is not so perfect, and I don't particularly want to see such an ending, so I took this as an opportunity to recreate the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf and Grandma, and then adapt it into a warm ending.
A3: I simply like to draw, and because of this passion, I have always insisted on creating. As for how to maintain a childlike innocence, I think it is to listen to your heart in everything, and I hope you will do more things to make yourself happy.
When it comes to work, change your mindset and think about doing something happy that you enjoy instead of saying you're working. For my own studio, I am also trying to create a happy and relaxed working atmosphere for everyone, such as setting up afternoon tea time, taking everyone to see flowers or other activities, so that everyone can work in a relaxed atmosphere and not be so anxious because of work.
A4: Actually, I have cooperated with many large companies, but it is very easy to cooperate with M&G, I can fully express my design ideas, M&G has left me a lot of creative space, it is a very pleasant cooperation.
And stationery has a natural connection with the sense of healing, and stationery can quickly convey this feeling. I often use some stationery myself, so stationery needs to convey some positive and healing emotions, which will make people feel good.
A5: The pen is used more because of the reason for drawing by myself, so I like the pen the most.
A6: In the future, I may take out a character "kitten" that I like very much and cooperate with Chenguang for product cooperation, you can look forward to it.
Shinji Kato's recent work
In the conversation of less than an hour, we could feel that Mr. Kato himself was as friendly and peaceful as his works, and full of healing.
He seems to be very good at adjusting his state to devote himself to work, and at the same time, he also hopes that today's young people can follow their hearts and design happily like him.
Morning light: good stationery with temperature
Chenguang, as a well-known stationery brand in China that accompanies the growth of thousands of teenagers, has always insisted on creating "good stationery with temperature".
I remember when I was very young, every year at the beginning of school, I could see that there were new products on the shelves of Chenguang, and every model of each series made people want to have it. And these stationery together, it is Chenguang's "achievement" for decades, and for us, it is childhood time and youth memory.
As I grew up, I slowly understood that Chenguang did much more than what we saw.
It not only does it constantly update and iterate and upgrade new products every year, but also strives to get closer to consumers, carry out cross-border cooperation with major museums, art galleries, independent illustrators, writers, etc., and cooperate with many well-known international IPs.
And this time with Mr. Kato's cooperation, Chenguang is full of healing energy with Mr. Kato's pen, producing the same frequency resonance, so that "good stationery with temperature" has reached another peak.
"Enjoying innocence, healing and hope" is what Chenguang and Mr. Kato hope for on the same product.