was a Japanese
painter
Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
in the
nihonga
''Nihonga'' () is a Japanese style of painting that typically uses mineral pigments, and occasionally ink, together with other organic pigments on silk or paper. The term was coined during the Meiji period (1868–1912) to differentiate it from ...
style. He and his younger brother,
Tōichi Katō
was a Japanese painter in the ''Nihonga'' style and board chairman of the Nitten, a significant Japanese art conference. He and his older brother, Eizō Katō, have a museum dedicated to their works in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture.
Biography
*1916 B ...
, have a museum dedicated to their works in
Gifu
is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...
,
Gifu Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...
.
Biography
He was born in 1906 Gifu's Mizono-chō as the third son of a
lacquerware
Lacquerware are objects decoratively covered with lacquer. Lacquerware includes small or large containers, tableware, a variety of small objects carried by people, and larger objects such as furniture and even coffins painted with lacquer. Before ...
merchant. His early education took place at local schools when he graduated from Gifu Commercial High School in 1923.
In 1926, he entered into the
Tokyo Fine Arts School in
Nihonga
''Nihonga'' () is a Japanese style of painting that typically uses mineral pigments, and occasionally ink, together with other organic pigments on silk or paper. The term was coined during the Meiji period (1868–1912) to differentiate it from ...
Studies, where he would spend the next five years studying art and entering competitions. It was in 1929 that he first submitted a work to 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 ...
’s 10th annual event, entering a piece entitled “Small Scenes of a Summer Day” (夏日小景 ''Natsubi Shōkei''). In 1931, he graduated from the Tokyo Fine Arts School in Nihonga Studies. His work was part of the
painting event in the
art competition at the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
.
*1939 His work entitled “Moonlit Night” (月夜 ''Tsukiyo'') was a special selection at the ''Third Shinbunten''.
*1945 Many of his works were destroyed in the
air raids of Gifu City on July 9.
*1950 Split from the Nitten Exhibition.
*1951 Rejoined the Nitten Exhibition.
*1956 Entered “Basket Fire” (篝火 ''Kagaribi'') into the 12th Annual Japan Arts Exhibition. It is from this time that he started focusing on
cormorant fishing
Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing technique in which fishermen use trained cormorants to catch fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in China and Japan, as well as Greece, North Macedonia, and briefly, England ...
as his subject, about which he created many pieces.
*1958 At the refounding of the Japan Arts Exhibition, he was named to the exhibition's council.
*1965 Entered “Thunder God” (雷神 ''Raijin'') in the 8th New Nitten Exhibition.
*1969 Was named the director of the Japan Arts Exhibition.
*1972 Died on May 24.
*1974 The "Eizō Katō Posthumous Exhibitions" were held in Tokyo and Gifu.
*1991 The
Eizō & Tōichi Katō Memorial Art Museum was opened in Gifu.
*1992 The "Eizō Katō: 20th Anniversary Exhibition" was opened in Tokyo.
References
External links
Eizō Katō Timeline
1906 births
1972 deaths
Nihonga painters
People from Gifu
20th-century Japanese painters
Art competitors at the 1936 Summer Olympics
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