Yozo Ukita (1924 - 2013)

Yozo Ukita was a founding member of Gutai, joining in 1955 and remaining in the group until 1964. He played a key role by managing Kirin [Giraffe]; a children’s art and poetry magazine founded by a group of Kansai-area intellectuals in 1948. At this time he also met Jiro Yoshihara, Gutai’s future leader and he would commission Yoshihara to design artwork for the cover. Central to Gutai was an encouragement of a childlike impulse - a time when imagination is not constrained, thereby allowing true creativity. Under Ukita’s direction, Kirin therefore became a key vehicle for Gutai, with artists contributing illustrations and essays.