Born in Osaka prefecture in 1973 as the second son of third-generation Chikuunsai, he was exposed to bamboo from an early age and naturally became interested in bamboo. After graduating from the sculpture at the Fine Arts Department of Tokyo University of the Arts, he spent two years learning about weaving, assembling and designing bamboo pieces at the Bamboo Craft Training Center in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. And he returned to his family home in Sakai, Osaka and learned bamboo craft from his father, third-generation Chikuunsai.

After that, he has held solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and abroad, as well as exhibitions at museums such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Seattle Art Museum, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the British Museum, and the Guimet Museum, expanding his scope of activities overseas. Around 2000, he began creating bamboo objects, discovering new possibilities for them as contemporary art. He then took on a further challenge by creating installations using bamboo. His installations, which have an overwhelming energy that transcends age, gender, and nationality, have attracted attention from all over the world.

In 2017, he succeeded to the name of Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ. There are two categories of works that represent Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ. The one is traditional works that inherit the techniques and spirit of his forefathers. The other is bamboo installations with powerful modern elements. The ideas that are important to him, such as "connection", "infinity", and "circulation" have had a major influence on his works. By reusing materials from his installations, new works are born based on the idea of reincarnation, which is our cycle of life and death. Furthermore, the material used, Toratake, is decreasing due to changes in the natural environment in recent years, providing an opportunity for us to think about the future of coexistence between humans and nature. To embody his essence, which is that "Tradition is a Challenge" he continues to broaden the scope of his creative.