Rugby was my life in high school. I dreamed of studying architecture and at the same time playing with the rugby team of Waseda University. When I learned that the entrance exam included drawing tests, I signed up at a painter’s workshop so that I could go there every Sunday to draw during my first high school year. Later, in the second year, I started night classes at the Asagaya School of Art. I went to class every day after three hours of training.

That same year we were selected as the regional team of Tokyo to participate in the National Championship, but we suffered a big defeat in the first game and had to face the harsh reality: we didn’t have the level to play in a national league. During that period, however, I discovered that I loved drawing. I never missed a class and started to feel motivated about studying an artistic career. Because the defeat in the National Championship had made me see my limitations as professional rugby player, when I started my third year of high school I changed my mind and decided to take the entrance exam at Tokyo University of the Arts. With this clear objective, I enrolled at an academy to prepare for the exam to enter the School of Architecture, and went there to study every night, always after rugby practice...[+]