was a Japanese

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and sculptor.

Biography

Takamura was the eldest son of Japanese sculptor

Takamura Kōun was a Japanese sculptor who exerted himself for the modernization of wood carving and a professor of Tokyo School of Fine Arts, who dedicated himself to the education of the future generations. Born in Tokyo as Nakajima Kōzō, he created the ...

. He graduated from the

Tokyo School of Fine Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, sculp ...

in 1902, where he studied sculpture and oil painting. He studied in New York, at the Art Students League of New York City in 1906. While in New York, Takamura studied under the well known sculptor

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...

. Takamura's time spent in America was difficult, and had great impact on his sculpture work and literary work. Takamura additionally studied in London in 1907, where he met his best friend

Bernard Leach Bernard Howell Leach (5 January 1887 – 6 May 1979), was a British studio potter and art teacher. He is regarded as the "Father of British studio pottery". Biography Early years (Japan) Leach was born in Hong Kong. His mother Eleanor (née ...

. After finishing his studies in Paris in 1908, he returned to Japan in 1909 and lived there for the rest of his life. His sculptural work shows strong influence both from Western work (especially

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

, whom he idolized) and from the Shirakabaha society. Takamura dedicated his artwork style to separating itself from the traditional Japanese style of art. Takamura and other artist were seen as leaders of a revolution in Japanese artwork. 高村智恵子と高村光太郎

He is also famous for his poems, and especially for his 1941 collection ''Chiekoshō'' (智恵子抄, literally "Selections of Chieko", English title "Chieko's sky" after one of the poems therein), a collection of poems about his wife

Chieko Takamura was a Japanese artist. Biography Chieko Takamura was born in the town of Adachi in what is now the city of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture as Chieko Naganuma, the eldest of six daughters and two sons. In 1903, she went to the Japan Women' ...

née Naganuma, the oil painter, paper artist and early member of the Japanese feminist movement, who died in 1938. In 1951 Takamura received the 2nd

Yomiuri Prize The is a literary award in Japan. The prize was founded in 1949 by the Yomiuri Shinbun Company to help form a "strong cultural nation". The winner is awarded two million Japanese yen and an inkstone. Award categories For the first two years, ...

Published works

* ''Chieko's sky'', 1941 (English translation 1978) - (English) * ''The Chieko poems'', bilingual edition, 2005 - * ''Poèmes à Chieko'', bilingual edition (Japanese and French), Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux, 2021,

References

External links

*
Factmonster biography

1883 births 1956 deaths Tokyo School of Fine Arts alumni Yomiuri Prize winners 20th-century Japanese sculptors 20th-century Japanese poets Artists from Tokyo Metropolis {{Asia-sculptor-stub