Ako is Japanese and was born in Osaka.  After completing her university education in both Japan and America, she moved to England in 1977 and has lived since.  She lives in Guildford for the last 11 years.

When she was eight years old, she started Japanese calligraphy, which  you do with brushes on rice paper.  After a high powered career in the City, she moved to West Sussex from London and started the Japanese Brush Painting 18 years ago.  She found it easier to get into the painting because the brushes are the same as Japanese calligraphy and the brush strokes.

She uses traditional techniques with special brushes, paints and ink, which applied onto rice paper.  She often uses a method of tea wash to create an authentic background to her works. All her subjects reflect nature’s flora and fauna, including flowers, birds, fishes and some wild life within a variety of natural contexts.

Ako held her first solo exhibition at the Guildford Institute in 1996, followed by in the City of London in 1998 and Petworth House in 1999.  She is a regular participant in Arundel Art Trail in August for the last several years.  She is also a member of various art societies including Farnham, Guildford, Midhurst and Sussex Artists.