Togyū Okumura

Togyü Okumura while working.

Togyū Okumura (奥村 土牛, Okumura Togyū, 18 February 1889 – 25 September 1990) was a famous Japanese modern painter of the Nihonga style of watercolour painting. His original name was Yoshizō (義三). The name Togyū referred to a poem from his father who ran a publishing business.

Okumura is characterized by his works which achieve unusual, exquisite quality of colours through the application of the white gofun pigment 100 or 200 times as foundation.

Biography

• 1889 Born in Kyōbashi, Tokyo.
• 1900 Completes shogakko (junior school).
• 1926 Makes the acquaintance of Hayami Gyoshu.
• 1959 Becomes a director of the Japanese fine arts institute.
• 1962 Awarded the Japanese Order of Culture.
• 1978 Appointed chief director of the Japanese fine arts institute.
• 1990 Dies aged 101.

Major works

He painted Mount Fuji, which is in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

• 鳴門 (1959, 128.5×160.5 cm)
• 鹿 (1968,　114.7×145.0 cm)
• 醍醐 (1972,　135.5×115.8 cm)
• 閑日 (1974,　73.0×100.0 cm)
• 吉野 (1977,　108.6×184.4 cm)
• 富士宮の富士 (1982,　76.1×115.1 cm)
• 蠣 (1984,　102.0×131.0 cm)
• 寅 (1985,　16.2×49.5 cm)

Books and collections of work

• スケッチそのをりをり (collection of sketches, 1917)
• 牛のあゆみ (autobiography, 1974)

Major collections holding works by Okumura

• Okumura Togyu Memorial Museum (Nagano prefecture)
• Yamatane Museum

See also

• Kaii Higashiyama
• Seison Maeda

References

• Japanese arts, what & where? Tatsuo Takayama - 1987