ABOUT

From cave paintings to paper and books, from photography to film to video games — story has always evolved alongside us. Each leap in technology extended our capacity to tell stories, opening up new possibilities for expression. Then the digital age arrived, and it changed how stories are presented and consumed more than anything before it. Today, anyone can tell their own story. All of us keep searching for new ways to connect — to share stories that are singular to us, yet carry something universal.

This project is my own long-held answer to that search: a new form of visual storytelling. I named it TOWA, after the Japanese word for eternity — 永遠 — because that’s the spirit I wanted to build into it.

TOWA’s aim is simple to say and endless to explore: a distinctive visual format, built from an ever-expanding collection of art canvases, that enriches how we experience story.

At its core, TOWA is modular. Each illustration connects to the next like a tile — but without the repetition tiles usually imply. Every piece carries its own singular presence, and together they open up endless combinations.

With a single touch, the story takes on new life, unfolding in ways that are never quite the same twice. There’s no fixed path through it, and no fixed ending — only a story world that keeps expanding, waiting for you.

Come explore what interactive storytelling can be, with TOWA.

About Shigeru Ito

Shigeru Ito was born in Fukuoka, Japan, and is now based in Barcelona, where he has spent his career translating ideas into images. Illustration and visual expression have long been his way of building meaning, intention, and connection, across years of creative work spanning several continents. TOWA grew out of that same instinct: a distinctive visual grid, shaped by encounters on his travels, built to hold the complexity of the world and the variety of the way we each see it.

Want to go deeper? I’m writing a longer series — on how TOWA began, on what “format” really means, and more — over on Substack.

Building TOWA is an ongoing journey — new cities, new stories, and eventually, a physical card product. If you’d like to support that, sponsor and partner inquiries are always welcome. Get in touch →

— Shigeru Ito