(29 August 1881 – 11 April 1966) was a Japanese

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 ...

painter.

Biography

Born in Tokyo, the eldest son in a family of picture framers, Yamashita Shintarō's schooling included English and

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from . For millennia thereafter, the written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary ...

. He went on to study under

Fujishima Takeji was a Japanese people, Japanese painter, noted for his work in developing Romanticism and impressionism within the ''yoga (art), yōga'' (Western-style) art movement in late 19th- and early 20th-century Japanese painting. In his later years, h ...

and

Kuroda Seiki Viscount was a Japanese painter and teacher, noted for bringing Western art theory and practice to a wide Japanese audience. He was among the leaders of the ''yōga'' (or Western-style) movement in late 19th and early 20th-century Japanese pai ...

at Tokyo School of Fine Arts, graduating in 1904. After learning French at the Tokyo School of Foreign Languages, in 1905 he travelled via America to France, where he studied with

Raphaël Collin Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin (; 17 June 1850 – 21 October 1916) was a French painter born and raised in Paris, where he became a prominent academic painter and a teacher. He is principally known for the links he created between French and Ja ...

and

Fernand Cormon Fernand Cormon (; 24 December 1845 – 20 March 1924) was a French painter born in Paris. He became a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin, and Jean-François Portaels, and one of the leading historical painters of modern France. Biog ...

and at the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. In 1907 he visited Spain, copying '' The Surrender of Breda'' by Velázquez, before returning to Paris via

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

and

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

. In 1908 "By the Window" was exhibited at the ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

''; ''Reading'' and ''After Reading'' appearing the following year. In 1909 he travelled through Switzerland and Italy, visiting

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, and

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

and

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. After returning to Paris, he painted ''Woman at her Shoes''. The following summer he returned via the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

to Japan. Shortly after returning he married. Later that year he exhibited for the first time at the Bunten, contributing ''Reading'', ''After Reading'', and ''Woman at her Shoes'', winning third prize with ''Reading''. He repeated the feat the following year with ''By the Window'', which was acquired by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture. His first daughter was born in 1912 and first son in 1914. That same year, together with and Arishima Ikuma, he founded the or "Society for Progressive Japanese Artists". He then travelled to Korea with and was commissioned by the

Chosen Government Railway Chosen or The Chosen may refer to: Books * ''The Chosen'' (Potok novel), a 1967 novel by Chaim Potok * ''The Chosen'', a 1997 novel by L. J. Smith * ''The Chosen'' (Pinto novel), a 1999 novel by Ricardo Pinto * ''The Chosen'' (Karabel book), a b ...

to paint murals for the , which he completed on a second trip the following year. ''Boys' Festival'', featuring his eldest son aged ten months, was exhibited at the "Nikaten" exhibition at the

Nihonbashi is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, which sprung up around the bridge of the same name that has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The curre ...

Mitsukoshi is an international Department stores in Japan, department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Its holding company, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, is a member of the Mitsui, Mitsui Group. History It was founded in 1673 with the (sho ...

later in 1915. In 1925 he assumed a leading role in the fine art division of the

Bunka Gakuin is a Japanese vocational school. It opened in 1921 as the first co-educational school in Japan. Alumni * Hisae Imai * Takako Irie * Liu Chi-hsiang * Yoko Mizuki * Akiko Santo * Akira Terao *Mitsu Yashima * Guan Zilan, Chinese painter Referen ...

. Two years later he contributed ''Poetry Party at the Imperial Palace'' to the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery. In 1931, as judge at the , he crossed again to Korea, travelling with . Later that same year he left

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

for France. While in Paris, he helped restore the

Kanō school The is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. The Kanō school of painting was the dominant style of painting from the late 15th century until the Meiji era, Meiji period which began in 1868, by which time the school had divided i ...

Namban

byōbu are Japanese folding screens made from several joined panels, bearing decorative painting and calligraphy, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses. History are originated in Han dynasty China and are tho ...

known as "the Portuguese" at the

Musée Guimet The Guimet Museum (full name in ; ''MNAAG''; ) is a Parisian art museum with one of the largest collections of Asian art outside of Asia that includes items from Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Tibet, India, and Nepal, among other countries. Foun ...

. After his return to Japan in 1932, he was awarded the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. That same year, he exhibited thirty-five works from his European travels at the Nikaten. In 1935 he withdrew from the Nikakai and joined the Imperial Fine Arts Academy. The following year, together with Ishii Hakutei and Yasui Sōtarō, he founded the . In 1937 he became a member of the reorganised Imperial Art Academy. In 1941 there was a special exhibition of his works in honour of his sixtieth birthday and he resigned from the Bunka Gakuin. In 1946 he exhibited at the first . In 1955 he was selected as a

Person of Cultural Merit is an official Japanese recognition and honour which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...

. The following year there was an exhibition of his works at the

Bridgestone Museum of Art Artizon Museum , until 2018 , is an art museum in Tokyo, Japan. The museum was founded in 1952 by the founder of Bridgestone Tire Co., Ishibashi Shojiro (his family name means stone bridge). The museum's collections include Impressionists, Pos ...

. In 1961 he became an adviser to the Nitten. In 1964 he was decorated with the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

. Yamashita Shintarō died in 1966 at the age of 84.

Select works

Reading by Yamashita Shintaro (Bridgestone Art Museum).jpg, ''Reading'' (1908) After Reading by Yamashita Shintaro (Senoku Hakukokan).jpg, ''After Reading'' (1908) By the Window by Yamashita Shintaro (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo).jpg, ''By the Window'' (1908) Woman at her Shoes by Yamashita Shintaro (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo).jpg, ''Woman at her Shoes'' (1909) Boys Festival by Yamashita Shintaro (Ishibashi Museum of Art).jpg, ''Boys' Festival'' (1915)

References

{{Authority control 1881 births 1966 deaths Yōga painters Persons of Cultural Merit Knights of the Legion of Honour Painters from Tokyo People from Arakawa, Tokyo

Biography

Select works

See also

References