Mitsutani Kunishirō (Japanese: 満谷国四郎; 10 November 1874 in

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

– 12 July 1936 in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

) was a Japanese painter in the

yōga is a style of artistic painting in Japan, typically of Japanese subjects, themes, or landscapes, but using Western (European) artistic conventions, techniques, and materials. The term was coined in the Meiji period (1868–1912) to distingui ...

style.

Life and work

His uncle, , was a businessman who also created some of the first Western-style paintings in Okayama. During his primary education, he displayed an early aptitude for art and was discovered by , a well-known artist who was serving as a substitute teacher. After graduating, in 1891, he went to Tokyo. The following year, he began studies with Koyama Shōtarō at his private school; "Fudō-sha" (不同社; roughly, Diversity). In 1900, he went to Europe to exhibit at the Exposition Universelle, won an award, and stayed there through 1901; taking a few lessons from

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a romanticism French painter and sculptor, and he is one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon ...

. Upon his return, he and some like-minded artists created "", an association devoted to Western-style painting. In 1907, he served as a jury member at the first exhibition held by the Ministry of Culture. Later that same year, he was awarded first prize at the sponsored by

Tokyo Prefecture Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which ...

. He returned to Europe in 1911 for further studies, with financial assistance from

Magosaburō Ōhara was a Japanese businessman and philanthropist. He was born in Kurashiki, Okayama. He studied at Waseda University but left Waseda before graduation. Later he became the most influential person in Kansai business community. Founded He founded � ...

, and lived there until the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914. He was named a member of the

Japan Art Academy is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of ...

in 1925. Over the next few years, he visited China four times. During this time, his works became more decorative in nature. During his later years, he was closely involved with the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery.

Sources

* Sanpei Yoshioka (Ed.), ''Okayama Biographical Encyclopedia'' (岡山人名事典), Nikkei Publishing, 1994 * Laurance P. Roberts: "Mitsutani Kunishirō", In: ''A Dictionary of Japanese Artists.'' Weatherhill, 1976. .

External links

More works by Mitsutani
@ ArtNet
A postcard designed by Mitsutani
@ the U.S. National Library of Medicine {{Authority control 1874 births 1936 deaths Japanese painters Yōga painters Artists from Okayama Prefecture