Her early years Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929, the youngest daughter of family from the mountainous region of Matsumoto in central Japan. Kusama's family; Yayoi is second from the right Courtesy Yayoi Kusama Studio, Inc Her family made their living from the cultivation of plant seeds. There is still a plant nursery on the site of Kusama’s childhood home. She had a conventional upbringing, and when Kusama began to express enthusiasm in making art, her family were not wholly supportive. Her mother in particular discouraged her young daughter’s dreams of becoming a professional artist, trying to steer her instead towards the conventional path of a traditional Japanese housewife. But Kusama’s persistence was strong. When her mother tore her drawings away from her, Kusama made more. When she could not afford to buy art supplies, she used materials she found around the home.