Born in 1981, Kuroda Katsutoshi joined the art club at Nishiawajii Kibou-no-ie (Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka) around 2011, participating in three two-hour sessions each month. When time allows, he also immerses himself in creating art at home using whatever paper and pens are at hand.
Kuroda’s drawings depict battle stories set in the Sengoku period or modern society, with recurring themes such as “the destruction of the Earth” and “the extinction of humanity.” His work is formatted like manga panels, filled with writhing, mysterious creatures and humans who bleed, explode, and clash violently. Although he says he has been drawing since the age of three, the detailed content is difficult to decipher due to his fast, idiosyncratic style.
What makes his work particularly unique is his storytelling method: he paints the narrative backward, starting from the ending and working in reverse. On sheets of drawing paper, he begins at the bottom, and for serialized works, he starts from the final part. This approach, which assumes an unhappy ending and moves from conclusion back toward the beginning, carries a powerful sense of meaning that invites reflection.