Why I'm called KOJO — the story behind the name
⏱️ 7 minute read
There's a question I get asked more often than you'd think: what does KOJO actually mean?
The answer is simpler than people expect, and at the same time, much grander. KOJO is my signature: KO from Koumans, JO from Jordy. But when I put the name together, I discovered that 向上 (kōjō | こうじょう) is already an existing Japanese word. And that discovery changed everything.
向上 — what it means
向上 literally means: elevation, improvement, progress. It's a word used daily in Japan, but it has a depth that a single translation can't capture. It's not about achieving success or reaching a goal. It's about the movement itself. About always being on the move, and that the journey is the essence.
In Japanese culture, this isn't an abstract concept. It's in the way an artisan practices their craft, in the way a calligrapher sets down their brush, in the way a gardener tends their garden. Not to be finished. But to keep moving.
向上 — you never arrive. You're always on your way. And that's precisely the point.
Japan and I — a story that began in my second year of high school
My fascination with Japan didn't start with art, not with a film, not with a book. It started in a travel agency in my second year of high school.
For my Visual Arts class, we had to make a holiday box. Everyone chose popular holiday destinations like Spain, Italy, or Greece. I wanted something different. I went to a travel agency, asked for a travel guide, and started flipping through it. Somewhere in that book, I stumbled upon Japan. And from that moment on, it stayed with me.
What struck me wasn't the exoticism. It was the order. The attention. The way everything seemed to have a reason. A teacup that isn't just a cup. A garden that isn't just a garden. An empty wall that isn't just empty.
I later traveled to Japan multiple times. I studied the language, delved into the philosophy and aesthetics. Not as a tourist, but as someone trying to understand something. Something I sought in my own work but couldn't yet name.
In Japan, I learned about the concept of ma (間). The space in between. The silence between two notes. The empty wall next to a painting. In Japanese aesthetics, that emptiness is not a lack, but a presence. It is the space that allows the work to breathe.
That idea fundamentally changed my way of painting. I started to do less. To allow more. To trust more in what isn't on the canvas.
Japan taught me that emptiness is not an absence. It is a choice. And that choice says more than what you add.
The discovery that confirmed everything
When I chose the name KOJO, it was purely intuitive. KO from Koumans, JO from Jordy. Simple, personal, mine. But when I typed the name into a Japanese dictionary, there it was. 向上. Kōjō. Elevation. Progress. Improvement.
I sat still for a while.
It didn't feel like a coincidence. It felt like a confirmation of something that had always been there. As if the name already knew what I was still discovering. That I don't paint to arrive. That I paint to keep moving. That every work is a step, not an endpoint.
KOJO Art has since become not just my brand name. It is my philosophy. Every painting I create is an expression of 向上. Not the result of growth, but the movement itself.
How 向上 is visible in my work
If you look at my paintings, you won't see stories. No figures, no narrative. What you see are planes, lines, color, and space. But behind every work is a question I ask myself. A direction I explore. A step I take without knowing where I'll end up.
That is 向上 in practice. Not knowing where you're going, but still moving. Trusting the process. Believing that the movement itself has value.
Let me highlight three works that embody this philosophy in different ways.
Noh Player — silence as language
Noh theatre is one of the oldest theatrical traditions in the world. The movements are slow, almost imperceptible. The masks are expressionless, yet precisely because of that, full of meaning. A Noh player communicates not by doing, but by being present. By inhabiting the silence.
That's what struck me when I created this work. The figure stands still. There's no action, no drama. And yet there's an enormous tension present, precisely because there's so little. It is 向上 in its most restrained form: the movement you don't see, but you feel.
Pale Divide — the space that breathes
Pale Divide is a color field work. Two planes, a transition, a boundary that is barely a boundary. What the work does is breathe. The empty space around the color is just as important as the color itself.
This is ma (間) in practice. The in-between space is not an emptiness to be filled. It is the place where the work comes to rest, and where the viewer is allowed to do the same. I consciously did not add more. Every extra line, every extra plane would take something away. Pale Divide is complete because I stopped adding.
Arc — one line, one movement
Arc is perhaps the most direct example of 向上 I have ever created. One arc. One movement. No beginning, no end you can point to, only the curve itself.
In Japanese calligraphy, there is the concept of enso (円相): a circle drawn in a single brushstroke. It's not about perfection. It's about the presence of the maker in that one gesture. It's no coincidence that I have the enso as a tattoo. As a reminder that the movement is the point, not the destination.
Every work in my collection is a snapshot of that movement. None of the works are "finished" in the sense that they mark an endpoint. They are finished in the sense that I was done with that step at that moment. The next step begins on a new canvas.
Discover the collection
Each work is a step in the movement of 向上. Original paintings and prints, shipped worldwide.
View the collectionFrequently Asked Questions
What does KOJO mean?
KOJO is the brand name under which I, Jordy Koumans, paint and sell my art. KO stands for Koumans, JO for Jordy. At the same time, 向上 (kōjō) is a Japanese word meaning elevation, improvement, and progress.
Is KOJO Art related to Japan?
Japan has greatly influenced my way of working and thinking. I have studied the language, researched the culture, and visited multiple times. The Japanese philosophy of process, of ma (間), and of continuous improvement is deeply embedded in my work.
Are KOJO Art works originals or prints?
Both. I create original acrylic and oil paintings, and prints of selected works are also available. All works are shipped worldwide.
Where can I view the collection?
The full collection can be viewed at kojoart.com. Original works and prints can be ordered directly.
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About KOJO Art
KOJO Art is the brand name under which I, Jordy Koumans, paint and sell my art. I create abstract and color field paintings in acrylic and oil, and prints of selected works. Based in Tilburg, I ship worldwide. 向上 — always moving forward.
