Akira Toriyama (ophthalmologist)
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese opthalmologist
who rose to become president of Showa University
; he was also an exhibited and published amateur photographer.
), Tokyo
. He studied medicine at Tokyo Imperial University, graduating in 1926. His own health was not good, and he is said to have been nudged toward ophthalmology by his own professor, who believed that the relatively stable working hours of an ophthalmologist would be better for Toriyama. In 1928 Toriyama became a professor of ophthalmology at Showa Medical School and he continued at the school as it became Showa Medical University and later Showa University
, whose president he became in 1969. Toriyama also became chairman of the university's board of directors; he retired from both positions in 1988 but continued as an adviser. He died on 30 November 1994.
Toriyama was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure
, Second Class, in 1971, and Upper Fourth Rank , in 1994.
(JPS), where the skills of the younger man quickly developed. By 1937 his works were appearing in group shows in Paris
and Amsterdam
as well as Japan.
Toriyama's membership of JPS was central to his photography, and JPS retained (for example as the title of its magazine) Shinzō Fukuhara
's phrase from the 1920s, "Light with its harmony" . Ryūichi Kaneko points out that the work of JPS changed with the times: from a start that rejected certain painterly influences on photography but that embraced the subject-matter and composition of traditional Japanese aesthetics, it moved to include the portrayal of urban scenes and fragments. Kaneko says that, influenced by Rosō Fukuhara
, Toriyama went further; for example, in his photography of plants "his emphasis on the sculptural qualities of leaves, stems, and branches is fresh even today"; further, that his style is similar to that of Shōji Ueda
, Akira Nomura, and other photographers of the generation who emerged in the late 1930s and are thought of as modernists rather than pictorialists. Kaneko concludes that "[Toriyama's] work clearly testifies to [his] Modernist will to live his own life, to express himself, to the full."
As his medical career progressed, Toriyama's photography continued but went largely unremarked. Following his death, Tomio Yoshikawa of Showa University visited his house and learned that he had left an enormous number of photographs. Yoshikawa soon had a collection of these published. Following this, Toriyama's family and ophthalmologists from Showa University discovered further large numbers of photographs and had selections of these published. First came Photographs by Akira Toriyama (1997), a lavish collection of well over a hundred monochrome
photographs from the late thirties, reproduced in sepia
. This was followed by A Visit to Showa (1999), a smaller collection of reproductions of colour slides thought to have been taken between 1962 and 1967. ("Showa" here refers to the Shōwa period
, which gave its name to the medical school where Toriyama worked.)
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese opthalmologist
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
who rose to become president of Showa University
Showa University
is a private university in Japan with campuses in Tokyo, Yamanashi and Kanagawa Prefectures. What was to become today's Showa University was founded in 1928 as Showa Medical School ; it was renamed Showa Medical University in 1946 before becoming Showa University in 1964...
; he was also an exhibited and published amateur photographer.
Biography and medical career
Toriyama was born on 20 June 1898 in Shinagawa-machi, Ebara-gun (now Shinagawa-kuShinagawa, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Shinagawa City. The ward is home to nine embassies.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 344,461 and a density of 15,740 persons per km². The total area is 22.72 km²....
), Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. He studied medicine at Tokyo Imperial University, graduating in 1926. His own health was not good, and he is said to have been nudged toward ophthalmology by his own professor, who believed that the relatively stable working hours of an ophthalmologist would be better for Toriyama. In 1928 Toriyama became a professor of ophthalmology at Showa Medical School and he continued at the school as it became Showa Medical University and later Showa University
Showa University
is a private university in Japan with campuses in Tokyo, Yamanashi and Kanagawa Prefectures. What was to become today's Showa University was founded in 1928 as Showa Medical School ; it was renamed Showa Medical University in 1946 before becoming Showa University in 1964...
, whose president he became in 1969. Toriyama also became chairman of the university's board of directors; he retired from both positions in 1988 but continued as an adviser. He died on 30 November 1994.
Toriyama was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure
Order of the Sacred Treasure
The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
, Second Class, in 1971, and Upper Fourth Rank , in 1994.
Photography
In 1934, Toriyama realized that his work as an ophthalmologist gave him some spare time, and his uncle the amateur photographer Yasunari Toriyama introduced him to the Japan Photographic SocietyJapan Photographic Society (1924–)
Unrelated to an earlier organization with the same name, the JPS grew out of the and the Kōga-kai . Founded in 1924, its first president was Shinzō Fukuhara, and its other founding members included the amateur photographers Rosō Fukuhara, Kiichirō Ishida, Isao Kakefuda, Maroni Kumazawa, Yasutarō...
(JPS), where the skills of the younger man quickly developed. By 1937 his works were appearing in group shows in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
as well as Japan.
Toriyama's membership of JPS was central to his photography, and JPS retained (for example as the title of its magazine) Shinzō Fukuhara
Shinzo Fukuhara
was a renowned Japanese photographer.He was born in Kyōbashi-ku, Tokyo, on 25 July 1883, as the fourth son of Arinobu Fukuhara , the head of Apothecary Shiseidō and Toku Fukuhara . The third brother predeceased his birth, so he was named and treated as the third son...
's phrase from the 1920s, "Light with its harmony" . Ryūichi Kaneko points out that the work of JPS changed with the times: from a start that rejected certain painterly influences on photography but that embraced the subject-matter and composition of traditional Japanese aesthetics, it moved to include the portrayal of urban scenes and fragments. Kaneko says that, influenced by Rosō Fukuhara
Roso Fukuhara
was a Japanese photographer noted for a strikingly modern approach to pictorialism.He was born in Ginza on 16 January 1892, as , son of , the head of Apothecary Shiseidō and...
, Toriyama went further; for example, in his photography of plants "his emphasis on the sculptural qualities of leaves, stems, and branches is fresh even today"; further, that his style is similar to that of Shōji Ueda
Shoji Ueda
Ueda was born on 27 March 1913 in Sakai , Tottori. His father was a manufacturer and seller of geta; Shōji was the only child who survived infancy...
, Akira Nomura, and other photographers of the generation who emerged in the late 1930s and are thought of as modernists rather than pictorialists. Kaneko concludes that "[Toriyama's] work clearly testifies to [his] Modernist will to live his own life, to express himself, to the full."
As his medical career progressed, Toriyama's photography continued but went largely unremarked. Following his death, Tomio Yoshikawa of Showa University visited his house and learned that he had left an enormous number of photographs. Yoshikawa soon had a collection of these published. Following this, Toriyama's family and ophthalmologists from Showa University discovered further large numbers of photographs and had selections of these published. First came Photographs by Akira Toriyama (1997), a lavish collection of well over a hundred monochrome
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
photographs from the late thirties, reproduced in sepia
Photographic print toning
In photography, toning is a method of changing the color of black-and-white photographs. In analog photography, toning is a chemical process carried out on silver-based photographic prints. This darkroom process can not be done with a color photograph and although the black-and-white photograph is...
. This was followed by A Visit to Showa (1999), a smaller collection of reproductions of colour slides thought to have been taken between 1962 and 1967. ("Showa" here refers to the Shōwa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
, which gave its name to the medical school where Toriyama worked.)
Books
- Kyōmaku shikkan . Nihon Ganka Zensho 18. Tokyo: Nihon Isho Shuppan, 1953.
- Toriyama Akira shashinshū / Photographs by Akira Toriyama. Tokyo: Mitsumura Printing, BeeBooks, 1997. ISBN 4-89615-929-2. Captions and texts in Japanese and English.
- Toriyama Akira shashinshū: Shōwa raikan / A Visit to Showa. Tokyo: Mitsumura Printing, BeeBooks, 1999. ISBN 4-89615-953-5. Captions in Japanese and English, most texts in both Japanese and English but some in Japanese only.