Shozo Shimamoto was born in the Osaka Prefecture in 1928. In 1947, he enrolled to study Philosophy at the School of Sociology of Kwansei Gakuin University. During his three years of study, Shozo Shimamoto saw the possibilities in abstract art and began to make his own creations. He graduated from the university’s School of Humanities in 1950. In 1954, Shozo Shimamoto met Jiro Yoshihara and developed a relationship as both mentor and friend with him. The duo co-founded the “Gutai Art Association” and actively participated in the art industry as the association’s primary members ever since. Shozo Shimamoto began many avant-garde art creations before the Gutai group officially launched its events. For example, he used newspapers as painting materials and punched many small holes in them, laying down a solid foundation for a brand new field of art. Shozo Shimamoto was a core founding member of “Gutai group,” a post-war avant-garde artistic group in Japan. He coined the term “Gutai group” whose full name is “Gutai Art Association.” “Gutai” emphasizes on interactions between the body and its surrounding environment, and that artistic creations must be original and never seen before. With the objective of “completely liberating paint from paint brushes, Shozo Shimamoto hoped to gradually introduce Japanese art to global mainstream art through creative behaviors that were different from traditional painting. Instead of using paint brushes, “Gutai” artists created their works by avant-garde techniques to obtain a new cultural identity. As the artist who coined the term “Gutai,” Shozo Shimamoto believed that “art is what brings impact to people.” He refused to accept the blind adulation of western art in Japan’s art industry at that time and disapproved of any imitations. He based his creations on “connections between people and media,” believing that he could create “a condition that has never been known, seen, and felt before” by integrating materials with subconscious reactions. His friend and mentor Jiro Yoshihara praised this theory as “impressively innovative” and important in the “Gutai Art Manifesto.” A more intense pursuit of connecting materials to spirit was a little exciting and unsettling to the people at that time. Shozo Shimamoto hurled paint-filled glass bottles against canvases laid out on hard surfaces or stones. The glass bottles burst open and the paint splashed out, forming a vibrant, dynamic pattern that is fascinating to see. This is the “bottle crash” painting method that was first invented in 1956, which also inspired the creation of the unique “whirlpool” method in 1965. These works made important contributions to the early development of Gutai art and instilled indispensable motivation in post-war art. They reflected revolutionary innovation from damage and expressed the power of rebirth and liberation through complete destruction. The blue background in Silk Road 31 resembles a lake of varying depth, which changes its look as the water tbecomes deeper. The paint was spread out in varying density to create different shades of green. In a pleasant atmosphere, the colors burst outward from a corner, producing a smooth flow of green that expanded and transformed on the background to form different color patterns. The color conversion balanced the image in terms of composition, while displaying a dramatic effect with the yellow and bright red. Shozo Shimamoto used an external device to add different colors of paint onto the canvas, which formed a self-made column of color that looks like running water in delivering paint from mid-air to the canvas. The layers of paint automatically expanded outward when they touched the canvas－the mix of red, yellow, blue, and green look astonishing. While they seem to be a uncontrollable flow of colors, they deliver a sense of splash like the ripples from throwing rocks into the lake. This formed the organic patterns that travelled outward from the heart. Shozo Shimamoto abandoned the use of common creative tools such as paint brushes. Instead, he created a unique sense of existence through intense coincidences, by thinking outside of an artist’s intentions. The creative techniques of “bottle crash” and “whirlpool” are what distinguished Shozo Shimamoto from other Gutai artists who also explored colors during the same time period. These techniques have become Shozo Shimamoto’s unique symbol of representation. In 2013, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York held the widely praised exhibition titled “Gutai: Splendid Playground.” It could be called Gutai’s “battle for name rectification” in the western world. This exhibition revealed the obscure origin of many westerncentered art forms－all of happening art, minimal art, land art, installation art, concept art, and relational aesthetics can be traced to Gutai art. In the two years that followed, Gutai art received a lot of attention in academia, aesthetics, and market. The popularity of exhibitions and comments on Gutai founders Jiro Yoshihara, Shozo Shimamoto, and core members Kazuo Shiraga, Atsuko Tanaka continued to rise, and their works have been auctioned at record-breaking prices. Shozo Shimamoto’s performance through destruction is highly dramatic. As a combination of both performance and painting, it ignited the vibrant energy in paints and seamlessly integrated the splashing materials with the turbulent spirit of life. The highly impressive process of creation did not only make important contributions to early Gutai development, but it also instilled indispensable motivation in post-war art. It demonstrated the revolutionary innovation from damage and expressed the power of rebirth and liberation from complete destruction.