hiroo isono print — courtesy of Hiroo Isono

Hiroo Isono (磯野宏夫), a name that resonates with the vibrancy of nature itself, stands as one of Japan’s most distinctive artists. Renowned for his vivid, dreamlike depictions of forests, tropical landscapes, and animals, Isono’s works are a visual symphony where fantasy and the natural world collide.

Born in 1945 in the tranquil Aichi Prefecture, he embarked on his artistic journey after graduating from the Fine Arts Department of Aichi University of Education in 1968. But Isono wasn’t just any artist. His brush seemed to carry the very essence of nature, blending color and form in a way that makes you feel as if you were wandering through an untouched forest, hearing the rustle of leaves and the distant call of unseen creatures.

Isono’s deep bond with nature ran like a current through his entire career, pulsing in every stroke of his brush. He devoted his life not just to art but to exploring the world’s most remote and mysterious forests. His art became a passport to forgotten places, his inspiration drawn from the tangled beauty of ecosystems that many never witness firsthand. The subtropical forests of the Yaeyama Islands, the dense, humid canopy of the Amazon Rainforest, the towering giants of North America—all of these left an indelible mark on his imagination.

This profound connection with nature culminated in a series of breathtaking art books: Emerald Green (1990), Emerald Forest (1996), and Emerald Dream (2003).

However, Isono’s talent wasn’t confined to static canvases. His artistic vision spilled into the digital realm, most notably within the world of video games. He played a role in crafting the visual identity of the beloved Mana series, with his intricate, fantastical landscapes breathing life into the mystical worlds of Secret of Mana and Heroes of Mana.

Isono’s legacy continues to be celebrated through various exhibitions and retrospectives, such as the Planets of Forest exhibition held at Gallery 5610 in Tokyo, which showcased his original illustrations and film footage of his later works . Another event was the In Memoriam: The Original Works and Films of Hiroo Isono exhibition, which highlighted his concern for environmental issues, particularly the threats to forests posed by climate change.

Throughout his life, Isono remained deeply committed to illustrating the beauty and fragility of nature.