Kinutani Koji was born in Nara City and he began to paint in oils as a child. He attended the Tokyo Univeristy of Arts and studied in the Western-style painting division where he completed both undergraduate and graduate school. His special area was the study of mural painting. Upon graduating in 1968 Kinutani became a teacher at his alma mater and, in the same year, he became a member of the Dokuritsu Bijutsu Kyokai (Independent Art Association).

In 1971 he traveled to Italy and entered the Venice Academy to study fresco painting, and in 1973 had a solo exhibition at the Venice Museum. Kinutani was the youngest artist to win the Yasui award, this in the 17th annual competition and, with this prize, critics began to take notice of his work. Kinutani was also the youngest artist to win the Tokyo University of Arts award with a 1987 portrait painting. Currently a professor at this school, Kinutani has had numerous solo exhibitions of his work including one at the Ikebukuro Seibu Art Forum in 1988, and another at the Shinjuku Isetan Art Museum in 1990. He is a well-known practitioner of mural painting in Japan.

With his free imagination Kinutani Koji combines elements of Japanese and Western styles in bold and uncompromising paintings.