Spray Paint Art Adds Color to Everyday Life; Pair of Artists, Yoka Paint, Spreading Joy through Street Art

By Hiroaki Ono / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:43 JST, February 28, 2025

FUKUOKA — Colorful pictures painted on cold, lifeless walls and shutters are attracting attention in Fukuoka City, as they not only provide stimulation in monotonous everyday life, but also help to create a lively atmosphere.

The masterminds behind the spray paint art are Stuart Kenta Oguri, an architect from Melbourne, and his wife Hiroko. As duo Yoka Paint, known as Putos Paint overseas, they have created thousands of murals.

Since moving to the city six years ago, they have been making art across the nation, often when the other party reaches out to them. Their works include one covering a giant wall at the Yodoko Sakura Stadium in Higashi-Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka.

The first “canvas” for them in Fukuoka was the shutter of Italian wine bar Vinoria Basso in Chuo Ward. They suggested painting a picture on it to the owner of the bar — which was close to their home.

The bar owner, who was asked this while opening the shutter, first looked surprised. According to the couple, he asked, “Are you going to scribble on the shutter?” But he readily accepted the idea after seeing their portfolio and learning about how wonderful street art can be.

Building walls and shutters, which usually go unnoticed, change into the “faces” of shops and other facilities thanks to spray paint art, leaving a lasting impression on passersby, too.

The couple said they are often asked what they are painting when working in front of a wall or a shutter with a spray can. They have gradually received more and more requests for paintings thanks in part to their friendly smiles.

Their recent representative works include one in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture.

At the request of the town to paint a picture as a symbol of recovery from the damage it suffered from torrential rains, they painted a 40-meter-long picture depicting a procession of portable shrines above wave-like patterns on a white wall last year.

Having listened carefully to locals about the characteristics and history of the area, the couple decided together with them to paint the picture with themes of traditional performing arts handed down in the area since the Edo period (1603-1867) and a local festival they take pride in.

It took about two months for the couple to complete the work. During that period, they stayed at a local house. People in the area sometimes watched over their two young children while they were working.

Symbol of local areas

The shutters of Cake House Bonheur in Itoda, Fukuoka Prefecture, are covered with paintings of cherry blossom trees along the Chuganji River and flowers from the Kanayama Hydrangea Garden, both in the town. The couple did the paintings at the request of the confectionery shop owner who wanted to enjoy the flowers, distinctive features of the town, all year long.

The paintings are said to have become a symbol of the area, as they are visible from a distance.

The Ita shopping street in Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, is home to about 50 “shutter art” pieces along a 450-meter-long section, which is popular on social media. The couple painted their art there with festival imagery after learning about a large-scale Shinto ritual held at and around the Hikosangawa river in the city every year.

After the work at the shopping street caught attention, they were asked to paint a mural at Maruyama Park, known as a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in Tagawa, when the wall and an outdoor stage were built there in 2020.

The couple painted a grand cherry blossom tree and mejiro Japanese white-eye birds on both sides there. When looked at up close, viewers can see delicately painted petals and differing shades of light.

“It is nice to be able to enjoy cherry blossoms even in winter [thanks to the art],” said a woman sitting in the park, facing the stage and the walls. “On a spring-like warm day, some people come here with lunch boxes to enjoy the feeling of cherry-blossom viewing,” she said.

Joy of art for more people

A hawk with a piercing gaze is painted on the wall of the Kaito bicycle shop in the Takatori shopping district of Fukuoka’s Sawara Ward. The bird is said to have been chosen as the motif because the shopping street where the shop is located contains the word taka, meaning “hawk” in Japanese, and the city is host to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks baseball team’s stadium.

“I did not expect they would make such a good painting. Tourists often come here to take pictures with the spray paint art,” Kaito manager Junichi Kawakami said.

Spray paint art is still not very well known in Japan but is said to have become a means for local development in the United States and some European nations. In those countries, it is reportedly common in places like medical institutions. Spray paint art is also thought to have a positive effect on people’s mindsets.

Stuart Kenta said spray paint art is found along many streets where he grew up in Melbourne. One of the city’s tourist attractions is a tour of street art murals scattered in urban areas.

“With spray paint art, you can enjoy works depicting the local climate and culture without going to an art museum. I hope people will feel refreshed by taking a look at them, even when they fall on hard times,” Hiroko said.

The couple hopes spray paint art will further develop to bring the joy of art to many people.