Chihiro Iwasaki
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese artist and illustrator best known for her water-colored illustrations of flowers and children, whose theme was "the happiness of children and peace".
(now Echizen-city
), Fukui Prefecture
, Japan. The following year, her family moved to Tokyo, where they lived until 1945. As a little girl, Chihiro loved to draw pictures. When she was fourteen years old, she began to learn drawing and oil painting under Saburosuke Okada, an artist and professor of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (later Tokyo University of the Arts). In 1936, Iwasaki graduated from high school, and the next year, at the age of eighteen, she began to learn how to draw Japanese calligraphy with inkstick
and ink brush
.
In 1939, she married a man whom her parents had set up an arrangement with, but their relationship was always very distant. They moved to Dalian
, Manchuria
, but their marriage soon ended with her husband's suicide, after which Iwasaki returned to Tokyo in 1941. In 1945, the Iwasaki family home in Tokyo was burned down in an air raid on Tokyo, and Iwasaki and her family moved to the home of her grandmother in Matsumoto, Nagano
. In 1946, after WWII was over, she joined the Japanese Communist Party, wishing all the wars to stop and all the suffering of children to end.
After moving back to Tokyo, she became a writer and illustrator for the Jimmin Shinbun. She also drew numerous illustration for commercial posters, magazines and school text books as much as she could. In 1949, an editor of Doshinsha, a children's book publishing company, requested her to create Okaasan no Hanashi (The Story of a Mother), a kind of educational Kamishibai
which became her first children's work. It was published in 1950, and was awarded the Prize for the Minister of Education, Science and Culture. When this success brought her some money, she made up her mind to be a professional illustrator. In the same year, she remarried to Zenmei Matsumoto, a fellow communist seven years younger than her. She had their only child, a son named Takeshi, in 1951, whom she frequently used as a model for her illustrations of babies and children for children's books and magazines. In 1952, she built a home in Nerima, Tokyo
. This house later became The Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo after she died.
In 1956, Iwasaki authored her first picture book, Hitori de Dekiru yo (I Can Do it All by Myself). That year, she received the Juvenile Culture Award of the Shogakukan Publishing Co. for her illustration works for children's books and magazines. In 1960, her AIUEO no Hon (The Alphabet Book: A-I-U-E-O) won the Sankei Children's Books Award. In 1966, Iwasaki moved to a cottage with studio in the Kurohime Highlands, near Lake Nojiri
, Nagano Prefecture
. She loved the Kurohime Highlands and spent much time making illustrations for children's books in this cottage every year. In 1971, Kotori no Kuru Hi (The Pretty Bird) won the Graphic Prize Fiera di Bologna
. Senka no Naka no Kodomo-tachi (Children in the Flames of War), published in 1973, won the bronze medal of the Leipzig International Book Fair
the following year.
In 1974, Iwasaki died of liver cancer at the age of 55. Seven years after her death, in 1981, Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window, written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
, was published with the selected illustrations by Iwasaki. An English edition was published in 1984.
and Hans Christian Andersen
. She wrote that she felt something in common with Marie Laurencin
when she saw one of her pictures, and said she was also impressed by Käthe Kollwitz
.
, since 1977) and Chihiro Art Museum Azumino (安曇野ちひろ美術館, located in Azumino, Nagano
; since 1997) are both run by the Chihiro Iwasaki Memorial Foundation (いわさきちひろ記念事業団, founded in 1976). In both museums they collect and exhibit original illustrations of children's books by Chihiro and other artists.
Books published in English
Life
Chihiro Iwasaki was born as the first daughter of Masakatsu and Fumie Iwasaki on 15 December 1918, in TakefuTakefu, Fukui
was a city located in Fukui, Japan. The city was established on April 1, 1948.On October 1, 2005 Takefu was merged with the town of Imadate, from Imadate District, to form the new city of Echizen....
(now Echizen-city
Echizen, Fukui
is a city in Fukui, Japan.Echizen took its present form on October 1, 2005, when the city of Takefu and the town of Imadate merged to form the new city, although the Echizen Basin has been an important regional center for over 1,500 years. It has many former castle sites and prehistoric...
), Fukui Prefecture
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...
, Japan. The following year, her family moved to Tokyo, where they lived until 1945. As a little girl, Chihiro loved to draw pictures. When she was fourteen years old, she began to learn drawing and oil painting under Saburosuke Okada, an artist and professor of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (later Tokyo University of the Arts). In 1936, Iwasaki graduated from high school, and the next year, at the age of eighteen, she began to learn how to draw Japanese calligraphy with inkstick
Inkstick
Inksticks are a type of solid ink used traditionally in several East Asian cultures for calligraphy and brush painting. Inksticks are made mainly of soot and animal glue, sometimes with incense or medicinal scents added...
and ink brush
Ink brush
Ink brushes are used in Chinese calligraphy. They are also used in Chinese painting and descendant brush painting styles. The ink brush was invented in China, believed to be around 300BCE...
.
In 1939, she married a man whom her parents had set up an arrangement with, but their relationship was always very distant. They moved to Dalian
Dalian
Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province, Northeast China. It faces Shandong to the south, the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, Dalian is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's...
, Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, but their marriage soon ended with her husband's suicide, after which Iwasaki returned to Tokyo in 1941. In 1945, the Iwasaki family home in Tokyo was burned down in an air raid on Tokyo, and Iwasaki and her family moved to the home of her grandmother in Matsumoto, Nagano
Matsumoto, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Matsumoto is designated as a Special City.-Outline:The new city of Matsumoto is the city comprising the mergers of the old city of Matsumoto and four villages. Matsumoto officially absorbed those villages without creating a new municipal...
. In 1946, after WWII was over, she joined the Japanese Communist Party, wishing all the wars to stop and all the suffering of children to end.
After moving back to Tokyo, she became a writer and illustrator for the Jimmin Shinbun. She also drew numerous illustration for commercial posters, magazines and school text books as much as she could. In 1949, an editor of Doshinsha, a children's book publishing company, requested her to create Okaasan no Hanashi (The Story of a Mother), a kind of educational Kamishibai
Kamishibai
Kamishibai , literally "paper drama", is a form of storytelling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12th century, where monks used emakimono to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience....
which became her first children's work. It was published in 1950, and was awarded the Prize for the Minister of Education, Science and Culture. When this success brought her some money, she made up her mind to be a professional illustrator. In the same year, she remarried to Zenmei Matsumoto, a fellow communist seven years younger than her. She had their only child, a son named Takeshi, in 1951, whom she frequently used as a model for her illustrations of babies and children for children's books and magazines. In 1952, she built a home in Nerima, Tokyo
Nerima, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 , and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the...
. This house later became The Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo after she died.
In 1956, Iwasaki authored her first picture book, Hitori de Dekiru yo (I Can Do it All by Myself). That year, she received the Juvenile Culture Award of the Shogakukan Publishing Co. for her illustration works for children's books and magazines. In 1960, her AIUEO no Hon (The Alphabet Book: A-I-U-E-O) won the Sankei Children's Books Award. In 1966, Iwasaki moved to a cottage with studio in the Kurohime Highlands, near Lake Nojiri
Lake Nojiri
is in the town of Shinano, Kamiminochi District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Second to Lake Suwa among lakes in Nagano Prefecture, Nojiri is a resort, the location of the first pumped-storage hydroelectricity in Japan, and the site of a paleolithic excavation....
, Nagano Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
. She loved the Kurohime Highlands and spent much time making illustrations for children's books in this cottage every year. In 1971, Kotori no Kuru Hi (The Pretty Bird) won the Graphic Prize Fiera di Bologna
Bologna Children's Book Fair
The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world.Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy...
. Senka no Naka no Kodomo-tachi (Children in the Flames of War), published in 1973, won the bronze medal of the Leipzig International Book Fair
Leipzig Book Fair
The Leipzig Book Fair is the second largest book fair in Germany after the Frankfurt Book Fair. The fair takes place annually over four days at the Leipzig Trade Fairground in the northern part of Leipzig, Saxony...
the following year.
In 1974, Iwasaki died of liver cancer at the age of 55. Seven years after her death, in 1981, Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window, written by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
is an internationally famous Japanese actress, a talk show host, a best-selling author of children book, a World Wide Fund for Nature advisor, and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. She is well-known for her charitable works, and is considered as one of the first Japanese celebrities who achieved...
, was published with the selected illustrations by Iwasaki. An English edition was published in 1984.
Style
The majority of her illustrations were water-colored pictures. Some of her work contained Japanese calligraphy and some were oil paintings. Her style was largely influenced by two of her favorite artists, Kenji MiyazawaKenji Miyazawa
was a Japanese poet and author of children's literature in the early Shōwa period of Japan. He was also known as a devout Buddhist, vegetarian and social activist.-Early life:...
and Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
. She wrote that she felt something in common with Marie Laurencin
Marie Laurencin
Marie Laurencin was a French painter and printmaker. -Biography:Laurencin was born in Paris, where she was raised by her mother and lived much of her life. At 18, she studied porcelain painting in Sèvres...
when she saw one of her pictures, and said she was also impressed by Käthe Kollwitz
Käthe Kollwitz
Käthe Kollwitz was a German painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose work offered an eloquent and often searing account of the human condition in the first half of the 20th century...
.
Memorial museums
Thtere are two memorial museums dedicated to Chihiro Iwasaki: The Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo (ちひろ美術館・東京, located in Nerima, TokyoNerima, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 , and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the...
, since 1977) and Chihiro Art Museum Azumino (安曇野ちひろ美術館, located in Azumino, Nagano
Azumino, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on October 1, 2005, when the town of Akashina, from Higashichikuma District, and the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato, from Minamiazumi District, merged to form a new city...
; since 1997) are both run by the Chihiro Iwasaki Memorial Foundation (いわさきちひろ記念事業団, founded in 1976). In both museums they collect and exhibit original illustrations of children's books by Chihiro and other artists.
Works
Chihiro is said to have made nearly seven thousand drawings in her life . This list is a part of her works.- Okasan no Hanashi (The Story of a Mother) : a kind of educational KamishibaiKamishibaiKamishibai , literally "paper drama", is a form of storytelling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12th century, where monks used emakimono to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience....
, 1949 - Hitori de Dekiru yo (I Can Do It All by Myself) 1956
- AIUEO no Hon (The Alphabet Book: A-I-U-E-O), 1960
- E no Nai Ehon (What the Moon Saw) originally written by H.C. Andersen, 1966
- Tsuru no Ongaeshi (The Crane Maiden) text by Miyoko Matsutani, illustration by Chihiro Iwasaki, 1966 ISBN 978-0819302076
- Watashi ga Chiisakatta Toki ni (When I Was a Child), 1967
- Ame no Hi no Orusuban (Staying Home Alone on a Rainy Day), 1968
- The Red Shoes originally written by H.C. Andersen, illustration by Chihiro, in 1968
- Kotori no Kuru Hi (The Pretty Bird), 1973
- Senka no Naka no Kodomo-tachi (Children in the Flames of War), 1973
- Akai Rosoku to Ningyo (The Red Candles and the Mermaid) (published posthumously in 1974) with text by Mimei Ogawa
Books published in English
- Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, Picture Book Studio (Natick, MA), 1984.
- Anthea Bell Swan Lake: A Traditional Folktale (adaptation of Tchaikovsky's Lebedinoe ozero), illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, Picture Book Studio (Natick, MA), 1986.
- Anthea Bell The Wise Queen, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, Picture Book Studio (Natick, MA), 1986.
- Hans Christian Andersen, The Red Shoes, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, Neugebauer (Boston, MA) Press, 1983 .
- Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, Picture Book Studio (Natick, MA), 1985.
- Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window
Further reading
- Gale Reference Team (Author), Biography - Iwasaki, Chihiro (Matsumoto) (1918-1974): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online [HTML] [Digital] Publisher: Thomson Gale (December 16, 2007)http://www.amazon.com/Biography-Iwasaki-Matsumoto-1918-1974-Contemporary/dp/B000RY9KE6/