Hello! Thank you for visiting Azito.

Azito is an online gallery specializing in Japanese contemporary art started in 2009. At that time, I was in New York, viewing many fascinating artworks coming from all over the world. I knew there were talented artists in Japan also, but few of them could be seen in New York. Since I want such artists to get more exposure and have more opportunities to be seen in exhibitions, I started an online gallery named Azito. The name comes from the phrase "agitating point," which also means "a secret place" in Japanese.

Azito started as a little place in the art world but I hope it will become a place to agitate the world. I believe the internet is a strong vehicle for visual art which has never appeared in our lives. I want artists' thoughts and ideas to spread and be shared all over the world.

Rasa Tsuda, Azito
January 2012

Feel intimate with the artwork by knowing its background.

Knowing the work visually is the first step. We want you to feel much more connected with the artwork and the artists behind them through our website. Since we have a strong partnership with the galleries who manage and know the artists in person, we can provide rich information about the artists, not only about their biography but also their personality, thoughts and the background of their artwork. This is essential to enjoy art.

Your purchase supports the artists' thoughts and ideas.

When you purchase an artwork through Azito, it means that you are supporting the artist since your money will also go to the artist through our partner galleries. Our transactions are different from purchases in the secondary market, where deals occur only between the buyer and seller. If you purchase an artist's artwork, it means that you like their work, but you are also praising and endorsing their ideas and philosophy. And showing your appreciation through owning an artist's work is a commendable way to support the artist.

Azito's partner galleries (order by name)

Become a leading collector in your neighbor.

Viewing an artwork physically is the best experience. There is no doubt about it. But in fact, not everyone has the chance to view Japanese contemporary artwork in their nearest museum. When you become a collector of a specific artist, please show his/her artwork to your friends and families and increase interest in your area. It might help the artist hold an exhibition in your city in the future. As art knows no boundaries, we ship all over the world with a simple click. In fact, our audience is 30% from Europe, 25% from the US, 25% from Asia, 15% from Japan, 5% from Australia. Our customers range from collectors in Dresden to Alaska.

Office address: 4-8-21-406, Ikejiri, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Email: contact [at] azito-art.com
Skype: azitoart

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Rasa Tsuda / President
She moved back to Tokyo from two years living in NY, in 2009. While she was in NY, she felt there are few chances to see Japanese contemporary art despite there are many high qualified artists. Since she believes that internet has a big possibility to spread unknown artworks worldwide, Azito was born. She formerly worked at Tagboat, biggest online gallery in Japan dealing with more than 1000 artworks. She helped to start up New York Art Beat (New York's art and design events calendar, listing 700 events). Before moving to the art industry, she also worked in the Central Bank of Japan for three years after graduating from Keio University. She likes the art works which are funny, sarcastic, happy, gentle and surprising.

Special thanks to...

Translation / Writer by Hannah Koh (email)
Hannah Koh is a Singapore-based journalist crazy about art, film, music and living life in the present. Having broken her brains memorizing Japanese grammar structures, verb conjugations and keigo for four years in college, she's putting all the damage to good use as a voluntary translator/proofreader with Azito.

Translation by Makiko Arima (email)
Makiko enjoys good food and good design (but mostly good food). With a background in history, she appreciates creative uses and interpretations of historical artifacts, traditions, and spaces. She lives and works in Yokohama.

Video Editor by Emi Tanaka (Facebook)
Emi is a country girl with a passion for Japanese Edo culture. She studied aesthetics at university, but couldn't quite grasp difficult discussions on art! Hoping to offer a fun and casual approach to art, she produced the gallerist interview videos for AZITO.

Translation by Teriha Faye Yaegashi (blog)
Teriha graduated with honors from Columbia University with a B.A. in Art History and Psychology. She specializes in translations of contemporary Japanese art and currently lives in New York.

Logo Designed by Shun Kawakami (website: artless Inc)
Shun Kawakami is an artist and designer currently based in Tokyo, won the prizes as The One Show(NY), The ADC 86th Annual Awards(NY) and more.

Website Created by (website: Team Lab Inc)
Team Lab is an IT company with high technology and great creativity.