About

In 1997, Yoji began his apprenticeship in thangka painting under the thangka master Karma Thupten near Swayambhunath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. At the same time, he enrolled in the Department of Tibetan Language at Tribhuvan University, studying Tibetan alongside his artistic training. For two years, he lived with Karma Thupten’s family and studied thangka painting intensively.

In 1999, he began independent work near Boudhanath and in 2000, he entered the Tsering Art School at Shechen Monastery — one of the major Nyingma monasteries located near the Boudhanath Stupa — where he studied under the school’s principal, master Konchog Lhadrepa , once again learning thangka painting from the ground up. He completed the six-year curriculum, which included deity proportions, coloring techniques, mandala, calligraphy, and temple mural painting. In 2005, he graduated and was awarded the title “Ladé Lopön” (equivalent to a Bachelor of Fine Arts) by Shechen Monastery.

After graduation, he moved to Europe, continuing his thangka practice while also contributing to statue painting projects at Buddhist centers across the continent.

In 2007, he temporarily returned to Japan to prepare for a commission to reproduce a classical Japanese Buddhist painting. This led him to study traditional Japanese techniques such as silk painting and kirikane technique.

In 2010, he traveled to northern India to deepen his understanding of the natural mineral pigments and dyes traditionally used in thangka painting, where he studied under master Kalsang Dorje.