My Photo Embroidery
Photo embroidery is a form of textile expression that depicts a photographed scene with thread. In my practice, I convert photographs into stitch data and embroider them with a TAJIMA industrial embroidery machine using TAJIMA software.
Rather than recreating a photo or painting as it is, I pursue the unique light and atmosphere that thread can produce. There are many approaches to photo embroidery; in my work, the central theme is “expressing light with thread.”
Beginnings
When I was younger, creating realistic expression with embroidery was considered very difficult. Advances in technology have changed that—today, converting images into stitch data has become possible and has expanded what we can express.
I am also the CEO of Seiken Co., Ltd., the exclusive TAJIMA distributor for western Japan. From that perspective, I once believed photo embroidery was not suitable for industrial use. Until around 2012, I even told customers it would be hard to build a business around it.
Trial and Discovery
Meanwhile, the industry was shifting—from large-scale mass production to smaller machines and small-batch production. Feeling a strong urgency, I decided to try photo embroidery myself. At first I failed again and again, but through trial and error I developed my own approach while building on existing techniques.
Because my original goal was to support machine sales, I kept sharing my process openly on our website and blog—regardless of success or failure. Little by little, the technical hurdles were overcome and my work began to attract attention.
As a Photo Embroidery Creator
By 2018, I had come to truly enjoy photo embroidery as an art form and began my creative work in earnest. In 2019, I completed my representative piece, “Cherry Blossoms at Sewaritei.” It led to my first exhibition at the Sakuradeai-kan gallery in Kyoto.
Since then, I have continued to hold solo exhibitions, contribute to publications, and show work in exhibitions in Japan and abroad— including a 2024 show at the CUNY Gallery in New York.
Today, while further refining stitch-editing techniques, I keep digging into the theme that guides my practice: to express light with thread.