The miraculous genius painter, Ito Hikozo, and a young American soldier.
When I first saw Ito Hikozo's pen drawings, what struck me was an overwhelming sense of passion and sincerity.
I have forgotten which book it was, but the story about him that was written there moved me to tears.
After a commentary by the genius artist Ito Hikozo, who took the world by storm with his detailed illustrations for popular magazines from the Taisho to Showa periods,
That's my opinion.
I will summarize it from this site.
On February 17, 1904 (Meiji 37), Ito Hikozo, an illustrator who was active both before and after the war, was born. He was from Oita City, Oita Prefecture, and was a descendant of the swordsman Ito Ittosai, and was also a sword master himself...
The Ito family has actually inherited the Itto-ryu style since Ittosai, and Hikozo's father was also a master. Hikozo has been training with a real sword since he was in elementary school. His father slashed Hikozo with the real sword to erase his fear of the sword. Of course, he did not inflict any injury, but only cut a thin layer of skin so that a thin layer of blood oozed out.
Hikozo made his debut as an illustrator in 1925 for the serial novel "Reimei" in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Hikozo's illustrations were dense pen drawings, which were rare at the time. Following his father's advice that drawing with a pen requires the same commitment as putting in the effort, Hikozo began drawing with a pen from an early age without making a rough sketch.
In 1931, as calls for a state of emergency grew louder, the 27-year-old Hikozo, inspired by his patriotism, painted "Emperor Jimmu's Eastern Expedition" on silk, but he actually inflicted injury on himself and painted it using his own blood.
Of particular note is his documentary work depicting the garrison commander, Colonel Yamazaki Yasuyo, and his soldiers following the annihilation of the Attu Island offensive in 1843. After he began painting, Hikozo would have the same dream every night, depicting bloody soldiers falling.
Hikozou had a very keen intuition, or rather, it seems that he had a certain kind of ability. There are stories of him spotting the culprit of a crime and predicting disasters. There is also an anecdote where, while working at a newspaper company, a mouse ran across the shelf, and when Hikozou glared at it, it fell...
Hikozo retired from writing at the age of 66, and passed away peacefully on September 9, 2004, at the age of 100.
After putting down his pen, Hikozo spoke as follows:
"Since illustrations are art, even if they depict a corpse, they must be beautiful. An ugly reality must be portrayed beautifully through the artist's eyes... This is what art is all about."End
Although it is not written here, after the Second World War, Hikozo was suspected of war crimes for painting war pictures.
He was interned at the US military camp in Zama.
There he painted the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ for MacArthur,
Or he taught painting to young American soldiers.
In the book,
The teacher, Hikozo, and the well-built young American soldiers sat at the small desks in the classroom, spreading their arms out across the desks, covering the entire space.
He was drawing so hard that his head nearly stuck to the paper.
When I saw it, tears came to my eyes.
It is also said that when it was time for Hikozo to draw, the young American soldiers would all run to the classroom.
Hikozo, a genius painter, is always serious and sincere.
This is what they taught American soldiers as well.
Young people today are full of dreams.
There are no enemies or hatred in their hearts.
So how were the young Japanese and Americans who were sent to fight able to attack?
It was controlled by drugs.
The state of my brain was being changed.
Hikozo retired from writing at the age of 66 and lived to be 100 years old.
He lived a happy life with his family.
He depicted battles with sincerity and passion, taught painting to young soldiers at US military camps, and even had MacArthur visit his wife's house and eat some of her homemade nori rolls.
Hikozo Ito is a great artist who has demonstrated incredible artistic skill and love for the world.
I am proud and truly happy that he is a Japanese painter.
I can't stop feeling grateful.
- Kyoko
"Since illustrations are art, even if they depict a corpse, they must be beautiful. An ugly reality must be portrayed beautifully through the artist's eyes... This is what art is all about."
...Hikozo, that's true.
