Photo embroidery is a technique that transforms photographs into stitch data and turns them into embroidered works using embroidery machines.
I create my works using a TAJIMA industrial embroidery machine and TAJIMA embroidery software.When I was younger, it was difficult to achieve realistic expression with embroidery. However, advances in technology have made it partially possible—such as converting images into stitch data.
I am also the CEO of Seiken Co., Ltd., the exclusive TAJIMA distributor for western Japan.
From the perspective of someone who has worked in the industrial embroidery machine business for many years, I initially believed that photo embroidery was not suited to industrial applications. Until around 2012, I told customers that it would be difficult to turn photo embroidery into a business.But the industry was shifting—from large-scale production with multi-head machines to more compact machines for small-batch production.
Around that time, Seiken did not yet have the technical know-how for photo embroidery. I felt a strong sense of urgency that, without new creative uses, small embroidery machines might no longer sell. So I decided to try photo embroidery myself.Of course, my early attempts failed again and again. But through trial and error, I began developing my own method, building upon existing embroidery techniques.
Because I was doing it for the sake of machine sales, I kept sharing my progress publicly—regardless of success or failure.Over time, I started to overcome the technical challenges, and my work began to attract attention.
By 2018, I had come to truly enjoy photo embroidery itself. That same year, I began my creative work in earnest as a photo embroidery artist.In 2019, I completed a piece called “Cherry Blossoms at Sewaritei.” That work led to my first exhibition at the Sakuradeai-kan gallery in Kyoto.（Click here for Sakuradeai-kan)
Since then, I’ve continued to hold solo exhibitions, contribute to publications, and participate in art events in Japan and abroad—including an exhibition at the CUNY gallery in New York.Today, I continue refining the technical aspects of my embroidery while pursuing my core theme: “Embroidering light with thread.”