Komura Settai

Komura Settai (1887-1940)

Komura Settai was a versatile painter active in the fields of bookbinding, illustration, and stage design from the Taisho era (1912-1926) to the early Showa era (1926-1989).
Komura Settai's work is a marvel of design sense, color and composition, and is truly a pioneer of the modern term “designer.

Born in Saitama in 1887. His real name was Taisuke.
At the age of 16, Settai decided to become a painter and was initiated into the Japanese painting school.
In 1904, he entered the Japanese Painting Department of Tokyo Fine Arts School. He studied under Shimoyama Kanzan.

In 1914, Settai bound the Japanese-style book “Nihonbashi” by Kyoka Izumi, and along with Kiyokata Kaburaki, he bound many of Kyoka's works and worked on illustrations using woodblock printing and multicolor printing.

He also showed his talent in the field of stage design, and from 1924 (Taisho 13), when he produced “Tadanao Sir Gyojoki”, he showed his unique sensibility in the world of stage sets, producing many works such as “Ippontachi Dobutawari” and “Daibosatsu Touge (The Great Bodhisattva Pass)”. He also worked on the art for Kenji Mizoguchi's movies, and he himself marked a milestone in the world of stage set design.