Morikazu Kumagai is a modern painter known for the "Morikazu style," characterized by red contour lines and simple color planes. Born in Gifu in 1880, he studied under Kuroda Seiki and others at Tokyo Art School (now Tokyo University of the Arts). After graduating, he received a commendation at the 3rd Bunten Exhibition in 1909 and began his career as a painter. After a five-year period of seclusion in his rural hometown, he returned to Tokyo, actively participating in the Nika and Niki art associations, and passed away in Tokyo in 1977 at the age of 97.

In his birthplace Gifu, there is the Morikazu Kumagai Memorial Museum, and in Tokyo, where he spent his final years, the Toshima City Morikazu Kumagai Art Museum, where you can always view Kumagai's works.
Morikazu Kumagai painted many motifs throughout his life, but he is especially known for works related to light and life. Among these, the works featuring familiar subjects such as ants, butterflies, cats, and garden flowers, which he painted in his later years almost without leaving his home, are widely recognized.
Also, his way of life, walking his own path without being swayed by others, has a unique charm. Many people become fans of Morikazu Kumagai not only through art but also through other perspectives, such as the record of his words and deeds "Blue Fly" (Kyuryudo), the stage play "The Selfless Man: The Story of Morikazu Kumagai" (Mingei Theatre Company), and the film "Mori's Place" (directed by Shuichi Okita, starring Tsutomu Yamazaki).