Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1924. Shiraga studied Japanese painting at Kyoto Municipal College of Painting (now Kyoto City University of Arts). In 1952, he formed the Zero-kai (Zero Society) with Saburo Murakami, Atsuko Tanaka, and others. In 1955, he joined the Gutai Art Association led by Jiro Yoshihara, along with Murakami and others. He established foot painting, a method of creating works by holding onto a rope hanging from the ceiling with both hands and spreading paint with his feet on a canvas spread out on the floor while moving his body dynamically. In the 2000s, the reputation of Gutai in foreign museums and art markets grew, leading his art to fetch the highest prices at auction.

Around 1970, Shiraga saw a connection between the state of being attained in esoteric Buddhism and the transcendental spiritual state he achieved during the making of his work, and underwent ascetic training at Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei, marking his ordainment into monkhood. As a result of this influence, Shiraga’s works from the 1980s onwards often used cool colors such as black, blue and white.

In Onkurodanau Unjaku (1994), although colors like red and yellow are used, they are covered with black. Both the traditional Shiraga style and the influence of esoteric Buddhism are apparent on the canvas.