MIRO ITO
artist, author, producer & director
(art & culture)
Download MIRO ITO’s profile:MIROITO_eng_narative_bio_2026june23_compressed
🔶 Narrative Profile
Led by her artistic aspiration to help make the world a better place by promoting peace and understanding through her own initiative, Miro Ito has been involved in media and art projects as creator, producer & director.
Ito has held over 30 solo exhibitions in 12 countries and appeared in various notable publications to date. With one of her images gracing the official poster of the 2006 Venice Biennale – Dance Section, Ito’s crossover work—that transcends the the boundaries of time, culture, and media genre—is the outcome of her own spiritual and artistic quest throughout Japan, Germany and the U.S.A.
Official Image of Venice Biennale (Dance Section)
Photo by Miro Ito
Butoh Dancer: Ko Murobushi
Under the theme World heritage of life and prayer, Ito has been working to promote awareness of ancient Eurasian cultural heritage and traditions preserved in Japan—in order to create artistic invocations for a lasting peace—aspects of both the tangible and the intangible UNESCO World Heritage which she has been photographing/ filming, researching and writing about since 2005, with afocus on Japan’s 1st imperial capital: Nara.
🔸 Global Touring exhibition series: The Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku
Her latest project explores the historical significance of Hōryū-ji Temple, Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritages site with the world’s oldest wooden building as a testament to East-West exchanges in ancient times along the Silk Roads, through extremely rare photographic and artistic materials. This exhibition endeavours to put Prince Shōtoku’s achievements in their proper historical context.
Poster: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku (Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince hōtoku)
By offering a glimpse into the art and traditions of Hōryū-ji Temple, which inherited the finest cultural artefacts of East Asia via the Silk Roads, the exhibition aims to shed light on the spirit of harmony espoused by Prince Shōtoku in his Seventeen-Article Constitution (604), and shared wisdom of East Asia, culminating in a fusion of Confucianism and Buddhism.
In today’s increasingly fragmented world, the significance of this wisdom from 1,400 years ago is a message for present and our future. The overseas premiere of the exhibition The Historical Significance of Hōryū-ji Temple and Prince Shōtoku launched during The 25th Salamanca Cultural Week of Japan (Spain) at the University of Salamanca’s Spanish Japanese Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Hispano Japoés) in March 2026 and continues—until mid-June—before touring the world.
🔸 Global Touring exhibition series: Road of Light and Hope
Speaking engagement at “Road of Light and Hope” exhibition by Miro Ito, the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 2017 (Miro Ito and Ambassador Shinsuke Shimizu and Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland (Secretary of General of the Council Europe at the time)
Ito’s ongoing globally touring exhibition, short-film screening & lecture series entitled Road of Light and Hope has already been shown at 12 venues of 10 countries between 2016 and 2019. Supported by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Embassies/Consulates, Road of Light and Hope launched at United Nations Headquarters (New York) in 2016, followed by exhibitions, speaking engagements and film screenings as integral parts of Japan’s commemorative ceremonies and events abroad in renowned venues such as: Ikuo Hirayama International Caravanserai of Cultures (Tashkent); The Council of Europe and Lieu d’ Europe (Strasbourg); Japan Foundation (Toronto) and Consulate General of Japan in Chicago; Rio de Janeiro Post Office Cultural Center for Japan Month; National Museum of World Cultures (Mexico City); Byzantine and Christian Museum (Athens); Bardo National Museum (Tunis); Nara Palace Historical Park; Centro Cultural Peruano Japonés (Lima).
“Road of Light and Hope” presented at Centro Cultural Peruano Japonés Nov.2019 (Lima)
After a five-year hiatus, it will be presented at its 13th venue of the 11th country: the University of Salamanca (Spain) from Autumn in 2026.
The core message of this world touring project is the shared ancient Eurasian wisdom which arrived in Japan 1300 – 1500 years ago via the Silk Roads and still survives to this day in the form of art. The project’s purpose of this is to present this Eurasian trail where beauty and wisdom interacted as both a Road of Light and Hope and the Road of the Vairocana Buddha’s introduction to Japan, where this all-inclusive vision emerged as an inspiration for a future in which everyone is a part of everything and all is interconnected.
Download MIRO ITO’s profile: MIROITO_eng_narative_bio_2026june23_compressed
🔶Mission Statement
Sharing a Collective Human Heritage
Our ultimate mission is the creation of a foundation without borders for sharing, integrating and promoting our diverse, yet unified spiritual and intellectual heritage. We hope that our “medium=art + message” will contribute to the collective heritage of humankind to be shared around the world: which is what our creative activities are about.
We hope that our medium would contribute to the collective heritage of humankind to be shared around the world. One long-term goal is the creation of a foundation without borders for sharing and promoting our diverse, yet unified spiritual and intellectual heritage.
🔶Purport
Art as Medium for Equality and Solidarity
Reminiscent of communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan’s assertion “the medium is the message”, Miro Ito as artist, author and producer, seeks to globally establish this intercultural bridge-entity to promote her quest, “Peace through Art, Art through Peace”, while bringing international art & cultural projects planned, produced and created by Media Art League to the next global level.
To serve as an intercultural bridge spanning the globe, a non-profit organization is conceived: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative. Through its spiritual and creative activities in media and art, it will endeavour to share and exchange cultural and intellectual assets of Japan, including the art heritage of the Eurasian Continent.
Website: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative (https://japan-authentic-heritage-initiative.org/en)
🔶Objective
The NPO, Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative, will focus on activities to introduce and share selected media contents (photography, movie writings, literature, etc.) involving Japanese/Asian/Eurasian cultural assets (including those designated as UNESCO World Heritage) especially those that provide evidence of contacts and exchanges throughout history.
Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative promotes exhibitions, screenings, lecture activities, etc. together with libraries, museums, universities as well as research institutes worldwide, while concurrently linking specialists and cultural/intellectual personages around the globe.
The key objectives of our activities are:
- By upholding, preserving and sharing the world’s ancient heritage along the Silk Roads, a new road of wisdoms can emerge from histories of coexistence and fusion beyond religions or cultural circles.
- By presenting “visions of solidarity” through works which can inspire a foundation for peace and unite people.
- By fostering ties around the world and exploring universal values that permeate even the seemingly divergent cultures and regions throughout history.
These activities promote “the media = art + message”: contributing to improve mutual understanding and invaluable cultural exchanges between the Americas, Europe and Asia.
🔶Activities
🔸Digital Archives
Archives of images, ranging from photographs portraying the World Heritage of Life and Prayer — from Japan/Asia and across the Eurasian continent — to works of our “artists league” spanning the world (of particular significance to Eurasian cultural heritage) will be established.
https://photographic_heritage_projects/org/en
URL: https://digital-silkroad-museum.org/en (only for members)
🔸Planning and Producing Cross Media Art & Movies
Planning and -producing multi-cultural cross media/film projects. Photographs and completed films are to be donated to collaborating organizations and contributed to digital archives. In addition to screenings in exhibitions, broadcasting on various public channels will be promoted.
Miro Ito film: Asuka-Fujiwara (commissioned by Nara Prefecture, 2023)
🔸Activities for Interaction and Sharing of Art & Culture
– Planning and producing multi-cultural art projects for interaction and sharing (e.g. exhibitions, screening & lectures, performance, etc.).
– Donation of works (photographic works, books, films, etc.) to related organizations.
Prospectus: La importancia histórica del templo Hōryū-ji y el príncipe Shōtoku
🔸Publishing, Research and Educational Activities
– Publishing invaluable books & other literature including photography/illustrated books.
– Research and studies about such themes as interaction of world spiritual cultures, origins of religious art and performing arts, origins of Eurasian cultural heritage.
– Educational activities in collaboration with universities and educational institutes, NPOs worldwide.
Cover: Signs of the Intangible (by MIRO ITO）published by Media Art League (Edited by Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative)
🔸JAHI Collections
Through these primary activities, there will be endowment of museums, libraries, universities, and other academic institutions with visual/photographic work, publications/literature, etc., pertaining to Japanese/Asian/Eurasian spiritual culture among collaborating partners and affiliated organizations, establishing Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative Collections.
🔶Structural Configuration
🔶Founding & Vision🔸Founding 2021-2029Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative (JAHI) in its initial incarnation is being founded in as NPO with private funding.🔸Vision 2030JAHI seeks to become established as an Art Foundation by 2030. Board members will be drawn from influential cultural and academic circles recognizing the importance of discourse between the Americas and Eurasia, enlisted from key persons supporting our activities (e.g. benefactors, philanthropists, museum directors, sponsors, etc.)It will be headquartered in Tokyo with branches in Nara and Toronto, to create multi-cultural art & media, academic projects and activities.Under the theme, “the universality of spiritual culture”, Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative will endeavor to become unique international organization to unit Eurasian spiritual traditions, while developing multi-cultural art and academic activities.🔶Social Contribution & Impact
Social Contribution and Benefits
Related site: Japan Authentic Heritage Initiative