NANZUKA was founded by Shinji Nanzuka in 2005 in Shibuya, Tokyo, under the name Nanzuka Underground. In 2021, the gallery relocated its primary space to Harajuku. From 2013 to 2024, the gallery operated a Hong Kong branch named AISHONANZUKA as a joint venture with Aisho Miura Arts.
The gallery is dedicated to rediscovering artists who have been overlooked in the Japanese fine art scene since World War II, such as Keiichi Tanaami (1936–2024), the first artist to represent Japanese pop art from the mid-1960s; Harumi Yamaguchi, a female artist who focused on advertising products in the 1970s and 1980s and used airbrush techniques to depict women, establishing herself as a symbol of women's liberation illustration in that era; and Hajime Sorayama (1947–), renowned for his Sexy Robot series, which explores the post-human body and the aesthetics of the human form.
The gallery collaborates with numerous international galleries to support emerging Japanese artists on the global stage, including Hiroki Tsukuda, Ryuichi Ohira, Masato Mori, and Haroshi. Simultaneously, it represents selected international artists who embody the global contemporary art scene.
NANZUKA actively collaborates with other industries—including fashion, music, and design—to expand the existing context of "art" and challenge the boundaries of "fine art."
