Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Azuma moved to Tokyo in 1997 to pursue his dream of becoming a rock musician. Around this time he took a job as a trader in the Ota Market, one of Japan's largest flower and produce markets. He cites his job at the Ota Market as the inspiration for pursuing a career in flowers. With his interest in ornamental flowers piqued, he then took a job managing a flower shop in Azabu-Jūban in 1999.
Azuma began his career as a flower artist in 2002 with the opening of the flower shop JARDINS des FLEURS. He partnered with photographer Shiinoki Shunsuketo to open the flower shop. Around 2005 Azuma began to explore a new form of floral design that he called botanical sculpture, the work for which he is now well known.
Career
2016
Sep 28 - Stage Collaboration with Dries Van Noten 2017 S/S Women's collection, using original artwork "Iced Flowers"
Sep 20-25 - Installation, "Botanical sculpture" for FUJIFILM's booth at Photokina, Cologne, Germany
Aug 27 - Sep 25 - Art Installation, "Drop Time" at the Mass in Jingumae, Tokyo
Jun 21 - Art Installation, "Burning Flowers" at a Old Rock Quarry Site in Tochigi, Japan
May 16–29 – Art Collaboration, “FENDI FLOWERLAND” at Selfridges & Co, London
Apr 9-10 – Exhibition, Botanical Sculpture #6 Dynamite at AMFC, Tokyo
Apr – Botanical installation live, “PALM TREE x ALGIERS”
Mar 25 - Apr 17 – Art Collaboration, “FENDI FLOWERLAND” at FENDI GINZA, Tokyo
Mar 17 – May 9 – Exhibition, Human l Nature curated by Andrew Zuckerman #5 capsule at CHAMBER, NYC
Mar 9-15 – Art Collaboration, “FENDI FLOWERLAND” at Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo
Feb 19-21 – Exhibition, “Botanical Sculpture Polypore” at AMFC, Tokyo
Jan 25-30 – Art installation, “PETAL BOX” at Colette, Paris
2015
Dec – Art direction, “Flower Universe” for Planetarium at Haneda international airport, Tokyo
Nov – Installation, “Fur Tree” for FENDI Ginza pop-up store, Tokyo
Nov – Exhibition, “Azuma Makoto Exposition”, Lambersart, France
Nov – Installation for Christmas table of Royal Copenhagen “Silent forest”, Tokyo
Oct – Exhibition, ”Shiki : Landscape and Beyond”, Dallas
Oct – Art product, “Paludarium OSAMU” in CHAMBER NYC, NY
Sep – Art/Visual direction, Book of Pierre Herme ”SATINE”
Jul – Exhibition, “Blue Flower Rebellion”, Saga
Mar – Publication, “ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FLOWERS ll” released from Seigensha
Feb 13 – Art project “DAGAT & BULAKLAK”, in Philippines
Jan 10-11 – Exhibition, “ICED FLOWERS” , Saitama
2014
Jul – Art project “EXOBIOTANICA”, in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada
Jul – Popup shop “Floral shop AMKK” at the POOL aoyama, Minamiaoyama, Tokyo
Jun – Publication, “Flower Method Azuma Makoto” released from Bijutsu Shuppan
Jun – Installation of the entire floor for the opening ceremony at Toranomon Hills, Tokyo
May – Botanical Installation x live concert “The Lost Eden” for Dragon-i, Hong Kong
Apr – Special installation for Salvatore Ferragamo, at Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo
Mar – Stage design for NHK Special 4 nights series “Adventure of Human body, the microscopic world”
Mar – Installation for the renewal opening of the fifth floor at Isetan Shinjuku, Tokyo
Mar – Second installment of Installation live “shiki x hakata cycos”, at the ex-pit for Ōya stone, Tochigi
Mar – Collaboration work with artist, Aya Takano “Shuen no mori, soshite hajimari (Forest of the end, and the beginning)” at kaikaikiki gallery, Motoazabu, Tokyo
Mar – Flower visual work for Dries van Noten “Inspirations” exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Jan – Permanent exhibition of “Timeless pine” for an entrance of the office in Roppongi, Tokyo
2013
Dec – Installation, “The world’s smallest ice skate link” (in forest), Maison Hermès, Ginza
Dec – Ongoing installation for 6 months “Botanical Sculpture#6 Dance”, Hotel entrance, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Nov – 30th anniversary installation, “Bottle Flower tree”, Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
Oct – Public art installation, art fair “Abierto Mexicano Dedisano”, Mexico
Sep – Flower installation, Pierre Herme Paris new collection presentation, Tokyo
Sep – Flower installation, Pierre Herme Paris new collection presentation, Hong Kong
Aug – Botanical installation, “Botanical Ashtray”, Daikanyama T-SITE, Tokyo
Aug – 1st permanent botanical installation, “Cocoon”, Fukushimameisei High School, Fukushima
Jul − “Encyclopedia of Flowers” selected for ”50BOOKS 50COVERS” at design competition in the United States
May −Botanical installation live “shiki×Naturopolis-Tokyo”, live house, Roppongi, Tokyo
May – Flower installation for the special party at Galerie Perrotin, Hong Kong
Apr – Exhibition in collaboration with the jewelry brand BOUCHERON, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
Apr – Vegetation and design objet chief director, Roppongi Hills 10th anniversary decoration, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
Mar – Installation “Collapsible leaves”, Isetan Shinjuku Grand Opening, entire floor,
Mar – Art exhibition “Paludarium Shigelu”, Broached Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Mar – Vegetation director, “HOUSE VISION 2013 Tokyo Exhibition”, Aomi, Tokyo
Mar – Publication, “Flower and I”(Kyuryudo) released
Nov – Window display “Toki no niwa – Jardin du Temps –“, Maison Hermès, Ginza, Tokyo
2012
Oct – Released compilation book “Encyclopedia of Flowers” English version (Lars Müller Publishers).
Sep – Art Exhibition as a part of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Florale Edition launch for a month, São Paulo, Brazil
Aug – Installation live “shiki-toe” at a warehouse in Kiba, Tokyo
Jul – Released compilation book “Encyclopedia of Flowers” (Seigensha).
Jul – Collaboration, “Belle Epoque Florale Edition” with Perrier-Jouët
Apr – Art Exhibition, Original artwork of “LADY DIOR AS SEEN BY”, Ginza, Tokyo
Apr – Art Exhibition at “Luminale2012”, Frankfurt, Germany
Mar 11 – Apr 15 – Art Exhibition, “Time of moss” at “DESIGNING DESIGN“, Zendai Contemporary Art Space, Shanghai
Feb – Creative Director, SUNTORY Midorie (Urban ecological development project)
2011
Nov - Stage production, live performance “Hana to Mizu” (Naruyoshi Kikuchi & Hiroshi Minami) Tokyo
Nov – Publication, “2009 – 2011 Flowers” collection of artwork book released, Tokyo
Oct – Art Installation, Cassina ixc. (Interior) Aoyama, Tokyo
Oct – Art collaboration, fashion brand HELMUT LANG featuring “MAKOTO AZUMA#2”, Tokyo
Oct – Art Exhibition, “Collapsible leaves” at gallery GYRE EYE OF GYRE, Tokyo
Aug – Art Exhibition, “Botanical Sculpture #3 lump” at gallery void+, Tokyo
Jun – Art Exhibition, “Time of moss” at Beijing Center for the Arts, China
May – Art video work, “Drop time”
May – Art collaboration, fashion brand HELMUT LANG featuring “MAKOTO AZUMA”, Tokyo
Feb – Art Exhibition, ”shiki × bulb” at Triennale Design Museum, Milan
2010
Dec – Art Exhibition, ”shiki × bulb” at IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT SPACE, Tokyo
Nov – Art Exhibition, ”Alter Nature” at art center Z33, Belgium
Aug – Art Production, Landscape Design at boutique Valveat81, Tokyo.
Aug – Art Exhibition, “Frozen Flower” at gallery void+, Tokyo.
Aug – Launched Azuma Makoto Gardening Club
Jul – Art Production, ”BOTANICA ” mobile concept, KDDI (mobile communication), Tokyo
Jun – Art Exhibition, ”TOKYO FIBER SENSEWARE” at Design Museum Holon, Israel
May – Art Exhibition, ”Shiki1”, at Shanghai EXPO Japan industrial pavilion, Shanghai