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Takako Saito (1929, Sabae-shi, Japan) is a Japanese artist known for her innovative contributions to the Fluxus movement and her interactive, game-based artworks. Her practice spans performance, installation, and object-making, emphasizing audience participation and the playful transformation of everyday experiences. Saito studied child psychology at Japan Women's University in Tokyo from 1947 to 1950. She became involved in the Sōzō Biiku Undō (Creative Art Education) movement, which promoted artistic freedom and experimental creativity. This early engagement with non-traditional art education led her to connect with avant-garde circles, including artist Ay-O, who later introduced her to the Fluxus movement. In 1963, Saito moved to New York City, where she was introduced to George Maciunas, the founder of Fluxus. She quickly became an active participant in the movement, creating interactive objects, performance-based works, and participatory installations that aligned with Fluxus' goal of integrating art into everyday life. Among her most well-known works are her alternative chess sets, such as "Spice Chess" and "Smell Chess", in which traditional game pieces are replaced with spice containers or scented objects, transforming the game into a multisensory experience. Saito was one of the artists featured in Fluxus' first major festival, "Fluxus Internationale Festspiele Neuester Musik" in Wiesbaden in 1962, a groundbreaking event that helped establish Fluxus as a leading avant-garde movement. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she collaborated with George Brecht, Robert Filliou, and other Fluxus artists, contributing to numerous Fluxus editions and performances. She also created "You and Me Shop", a participatory project where she set up a mock store selling handcrafted objects, encouraging direct engagement between the artist and the public. In the late 1970s, Saito relocated to Düsseldorf, Germany, where she continued her artistic practice. She developed a strong connection with Francesco Conz. Conz played a major role in preserving and promoting Saito's work, publishing special editions of her interactive art objects and performances. Saito’s work has been exhibited extensively, including retrospectives at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen (2017–2018) and the CAPC musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux (2019), which presented over 400 of her works. Her contributions to Fluxus, participatory art, and conceptual play have left a lasting impact on contemporary art, ensuring her legacy as a pioneer in interactive and sensory-based artistic experiences.