The cover of Philanthropy Association Newsletter
2/8 2025
Category: Notice
Shunsuke’s artwork has been selected for the cover of the Philanthropy Association’s official magazine.
This piece, created with ink and paint on traditional Japanese washi paper, is a signature work of his style. Inspired by Matisse’s paintings, he originally set out with that influence, but the final result turned out completely different. The artwork has a warm, humorous feel, and his characteristic confident, unhesitant lines make it unique.
The Philanthropy Association has been active since 1960, back when the concept of volunteering was still not widely recognized in Japan. Since 1990, the organization has focused on social participation and contribution, with support from many companies and groups. As part of its initiatives, the association also produces business cards featuring artwork created by individuals with disabilities, and Shunshi’s work has been selected for this as well.
The first Art Book was published
1/15 2025
Category: Press Release
His first art book is finally complete!
At his solo exhibition in January, many people encouraged him to publish an art book, and now it has finally come to life. This collection features artworks from the past 15 years, from ages 10 to 25.
In addition to his artwork, the book also shares stories about his disability and upbringing. Furthermore, three of his mentors, including Master Yasuko Kanazawa, have contributed congratulatory messages, making this a truly special collection.
You can purchase it from the "Shop" section on this website, or at amazon.co.jp.
Greetings
1/3 2025
Category: Notice
Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best for this year as well.
In March, he will be participating in the annual four-person exhibition at the Shinjuku Sports Center. In September, he is planning a solo exhibition with a mini concert alongside his Special Olympics friends.
He has also started practicing the piano again after a long time!
Solo Exhibition
10/29 2024
Category: Exhibition
He held a small solo exhibition at a nearby café.
During the approximately 10-day period, he was not present except on Saturdays, so it was mainly just a display. However, it was a great opportunity for local café visitors to learn about his work. The café staff also gave positive feedback, saying that the exhibition brightened up the space.
Next September, he plans to hold a joint concert with friends alongside another art exhibition. We hope you will visit again at that time!
Notice of Taisho-Ten, Calligraphy Exhibition
8/28 2024
Category: Exhibition
This year, the Taishokai exhibition, which he is a member of, will be held from August 29 to September 4 at the Ueno Royal Museum.
For this year’s exhibition, he has created a calligraphy piece based on the classical text "Ou YangXun – A Section from a poem, Lushan Gaozhi."
There will be daily events at 1:30 PM, except on Saturdays and Mondays. Please come and take a look!
Notice of Specia Olympics Art Exhibition
8/28 2024
Category:Exhibition
From September 11 to 28, a Special Olympics art exhibition will be held at a café in Shinjuku.
Special Olympics is an organization that provides sports programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities, but in Tokyo, there is also a cultural program. Each participant will exhibit three artworks.
Shunshi plans to showcase three pieces: Zoo, Grapes, and Coffee Time.
Additionally, mini-concerts will be held on September 15 and 16. Please stop by and enjoy the exhibition!
Selected for the Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition
8/27 2024
Category：Exhibition
He was selected for the Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition again this year.
This time, his work featured part of a clerical script piece (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) written in seal script. He hopes to challenge himself further with seal script this year.
He also attended the award ceremony. Although he was seated far from his family, he had no trouble following along by watching those before him, as this was his third time participating.
Notice of Exhibition in February
1/19 2024
カテゴリー：News
Following last year, we will be holding an exhibition on the first floor of the Shinjuku Sports Center.
This time, it will be a three-person exhibition featuring three artists with disabilities who reside in Shinjuku Ward.
The exhibition will be open throughout February, so please feel free to stop by!
The first solo Exhibition
1/17 2024
カテゴリー：News
Shunsuke held his first full-fledged solo exhibition at Bunkyo Civic Center. During the one-week exhibition, we had 510 visitors, and many people had the chance to see his artwork. We received various feedback such as "impressive," "unique," and "profound" for his calligraphy, and for his paintings, comments like "adorable," "beautiful use of colors," "unique," and "rich in sensibility." We received a lot of encouragement, advice, and supportive words, which motivated us to keep working hard.
Paraart Tokyo2023
12/23 2023
カテゴリー：News
Wrote a famous phrase "色即是空” of Heart Sutra at Paraart Tokyo 2023.
Got the Encouragement Prize
8/26 2023
Category：News
Taishoten was held from August 23rd to 28th at Ueno-no-Mori Museum. He wrote a part of a Chinese Classic poem made by Weng FangGang. Even though it was my first entry, he got an Encouragement Prize. 8/14 2023 category：News
Sellected by Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition
Shunsuke's work was sellected for the Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition. It started from August 14th to 20th. He went to see it on the first day. Among the 2,700 works, it was difficult to find his piece, so I checked the room number based on the list. He wrote the Heart Sutra on a large paper measuring 60cm x 240cm.
Tokyo Metropolitan Disability Comprehensive Art Exhibition 2023
7/21 2023
category：news
Shunsuke's work was selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Disability Comprehensive Art Exhibition 2023. He wrote the poem made by RiBai, who is a famous Chinese poet lived 1300years ago.
Shunsuke Matsumoto Art Exhibition
1/7 2023
category：news
Shunsuke Matsumoto held his first solo art exhibition at Shinjuku Sports Center, and many people came to see it.
Challenge Coffee Barista Official Badge Contest
10/15 2022
category：news
Shunsuke's illust was selected as one of the 18 finalists of the Official Badge Contest. Challenged Coffee Barista Competition was held at the Prince Hotel in Shinagawa. He could enjoy many kinds of coffee of whose participated in the event.
see more about Challenge Coffee Barista, click here
Paraart Tokyo2022
9/1 2022
category：news
He wrote the first 1/4 part of the Heart Suntra.
Click here for the virtual gallery
Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition U23 Division
8/18 2022
category：news
He is selected as Shu-saku prize(second highest category) at the Sankei International Calligraphy Exhibition in August 2022.
「ShoenExhibition」Shu-saku prize
7/26 2022
category：news
He wrote a part of Heart Suntra.
Rakuten NFT
3/1 2022
category：news
His works are sold at Rakuten NFT website.
click here for Rakuten NFT
Paraart Tokyo 2021
10/16 2021
category：news
His calligraphy is prized for the Paraart Prize at Paraart Tokyo2021.
Malignant Lymphoma
6/8 2021
category：news
Two years ago, he was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma, which has now recurred, and he is currently undergoing hospital treatment. This photo was taken right after he was hospitalized. His hair has been rapidly falling out, but he does't seem to mind it at all...
He has gone through three cycles of two weeks of hospitalization followed by one week of discharge, and he will soon undergo an autologous stem cell transplant.
He has had to take a break from calligraphy, painting classes, and playing the piano, but he spend his time in the hospital room drawing digitally. Occasionally, he goes home, so he has been submitting his work to several art exhibitions and competitions..
I am also staying at hospital with him to support communication with doctors and nurses. One thing I've realized during this period is that I am grateful to many people, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and more, who have been involved in his care, watching over him with kindness. I have nothing but gratitude for the healthcare professionals who have supported him.
Philansophy Name card
3/1 2021
category：product
By a fortunate opportunity, five of his artworks have been selected for the Philanthropy Business Cards.
The Japan Philanthropy Association is a public interest organization that supports donations and volunteer activities by individuals and companies. Recently, their activities have expanded in various ways, such as high school students creating videos to support NPOs struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic and raising donations, encouraging people to make charitable contributions on their birthdays, and promoting corporate matching programs to foster a culture of giving.
As part of these efforts, the association commissions business card production from organizations where people with disabilities work. At the same time, they incorporate artwork by artists with disabilities into these business cards, providing both job opportunities and a platform for artistic expression.
He recently had the opportunity to meet with members of the Philanthropy Association, and he noticed that many of them were using these business cards. Some even had multiple designs, and they mentioned, "When we hand out these cards, they spark engaging conversations with the recipients."
Being selected for this initiative is a great honor for him. There are five different business card designs, and he would be delighted if people remember them when considering their own business cards.
Click herefor order
The Tokyo Metropolitan Comprehensive Art Exhibitio for people with Disabilities
7/312019
Category : Event
He was selected in the calligraphy category of the Tokyo Metropolitan Comprehensive Art Exhibition for People with Disabilities, which was held from July 26 to July 31, 2019. The exhibition took place on the 7th floor of Seibu Ikebukuro Main Store.
This time, he submitted his calligraphy piece "龍" (Dragon), which he had written several years ago at a calligraphy class. Framing the piece helped enhance its presentation. The other works on display were also impressive, making the exhibition truly worthwhile to see.
Malignant Lymphoma
5/302019
category：news
In May 2019, during a routine visit to a local doctor for a cold, the doctor happened to notice swelling in the lymph nodes at the base of the left neck. Concerned, the doctor advised him to immediately see a hematologist at a larger hospital, where he was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma.
Not fully understanding the seriousness of the diagnosis, he took it lightly, thinking, "At least I get a break from work—lucky me!" In a way, his positive attitude has been a relief.
He began chemotherapy at the end of June, and the first three days of side effects were particularly tough. However, during the examinations, doctors also discovered an issue with his heart.
Despite living a healthy lifestyle—loving vegetables, avoiding junk food, exercising regularly, and maintaining an early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine—this diagnosis came as a shock. It also raised many questions, such as whether it might somehow be related to his intellectual disability (though, medically, there is no connection).
Since he will be taking more breaks from work, he is considering using this opportunity to focus more on his artistic activities.
After six months of treatment, he was diagnosed with remission (complete recovery) in December 2019.Click herefor the blog.
Artcraft event＠Temple
3/12019
category：event
From March 21 to 24, 2019, he will be exhibiting his work at the Art & Craft Exhibition held at Ikegami Daibo Hongyoji Temple.
This temple has been actively repurposing part of its grounds as a space for art exhibitions and workshops, aiming to revive its historical role as a terakoya (a traditional temple school). He is honored to have the opportunity to participate in this initiative.
The temple regularly hosts art-related events and actively engages with the arts. Additionally, in the summer, it organizes large music festivals, making it a vibrant and lively place.
We warmly invite you to visit and experience the event firsthand!
Many people visited for this event. The "Oni Yuzu" artwork will be permanently displayed on the second floor of the temple.
Looking back the activities in 2018
12/25 2018
category：event
In 2018, he turned 20, making it a truly memorable milestone.
In February, he was selected for the event "Let's go to Satoyama & Satoumi."
August, the month of his birthday, was particularly significant as he had the opportunity to participate in a group exhibition of ten artists at the Ginza gallery "Art for Thought." This experience allowed him to build valuable connections. During the exhibition period, he also celebrated his 20th birthday and fully enjoyed his time in Ginza.
He has also been dedicating himself to calligraphy. In Taishokai, the calligraphy association he belongs to, he was promoted from 3rd dan to 4th Grade. He will continue to work hard to improve his skills.
Next year, one of his digital artworks is scheduled to be featured on the cover of the association’s newsletter. Additionally, in March, his work will be exhibited at Ikegami Honmonji Temple in Tokyo.
He appreciates your continued support and looks forward to the future.