Takashi Murakami Has Just Released His First NFT

Takashi Murakami has joined the NFT world as he launches his first-ever digital artwork on OpenSea. The recent fanfare from the auction of Beeple’s piece, sparked an interest in the Japanese contemporary artist to further develop his craft within the digital space. Captivated by the way his children were playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons with their friends, the artist was inspired to change his ways of creative expressions and approach to art.

“They were watching some fireworks display within the game while talking with their school friends, who they could no longer meet in person, through Zoom, admiring how beautiful it was,“ Murakami explained. “I saw the reality of the shifting values when I realized that these children could discern beauty within a virtual world.”

Murakami has partnered with Yoshihisa Hashimoto, the former director of Sonic Unleashed and the Hedgehog Engine. Hashimoto is an authority figure in the online gaming world as he previously directed a team of programmers for the renewed MMO RPG Final Fantasy XIV: New Eorzea, led the production of Agni’s Philosophy—Final Fantasy REALTIME TECH DEMO at E3 in June 2012, and became CTO of Square Enix. He is now the representative of ZIKU Technologies, Inc., a company that creates XR, AI, and avatars.

Together with Hashimoto, they’ve released Murakami’s signature flowers in 24 x 24 pixel “evoking nostalgia for Famicom (The Nintendo Entertainment System).” They’ve created 108 variations, as the number symbolizes earthly desires in Buddhism.