Kiyoshi Yamashita
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese artist
. He is famous for his wanderings throughout Japan, during which he wore only a vest, garnering the nickname "The Naked General".
, Tokyo
. At the age of three, he suffered an acute abdominal disorder which, although not life threatening, left him with a mild speech impediment and some neurological damage.
At elementary school, Yamashita was the victim of bullying and on one occasion wounded a classmate with a knife. Because of this, his parents decided to move him to the Yahata institution for the mentally handicapped in Ichikawa
, Chiba
. It was here he started to experiment using torn pieces of paper to create pictures. His talent was recognised by mental health expert Ryuzaburo Shikiba, who organised an exhibition of Yamashita's work in Osaka
which received wide praise.
Tiring of life at the institution, and in order to avoid the mandatory physical examination for recruitment into the Imperial Japanese Army
, Yamashita ran away in 1940 to start his wandering around Japan, which would last until 1954.
At the age of 21, staff from the institution found him helping in a restaurant and forced him to take the recruitment exam. Eventually he was considered exempt from service. The events from this time were recorded in his “Wandering Diary” of 1956, and the most popular image of Yamashita travelling alone through the country with his rucksack comes from this period.
method of sticking torn pieces of coloured paper together to depict the scenery he saw on his travels, and some of his most famous works such as "Nagaoka no hanabi" and "Sakurajima" were made in this way. Possessing eidetic memory
, Yamashita usually recreated the entire scene from memory when he returned to the institution or his home. Because of this, Yamashita is often considered an idiot savant.
In the post-war period, he became widely known as the “Japanese Van Gogh” or the “Naked General” (due to his habit of wearing only a vest during his travels). In 1956, the Kiyoshi Yamashita Exhibition opened at the Daimaru store in Tokyo, and toured the country, stopping at 130 places in Japan and attracting over 500,000 visitors. In June 1961, Yamashita and Shikiba embarked on a 40 day tour of Europe
. Here he recorded the many famous places and monuments he saw.
, , which ran from 1980 to 1997.
(This article is an attempted translation of the Japanese Wikipedia article of the same name, and is ongoing.)
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 artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. He is famous for his wanderings throughout Japan, during which he wore only a vest, garnering the nickname "The Naked General".
Early life
Yamashita was born in AsakusaAsakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
, 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...
. At the age of three, he suffered an acute abdominal disorder which, although not life threatening, left him with a mild speech impediment and some neurological damage.
At elementary school, Yamashita was the victim of bullying and on one occasion wounded a classmate with a knife. Because of this, his parents decided to move him to the Yahata institution for the mentally handicapped in Ichikawa
Ichikawa, Chiba
is a city located in northwest Chiba, Japan, approximately 20 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. The city was founded on November 3, 1934. As of January 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 474,586 and a density of 8,259.42 persons per km². The total area is 57.46 km²...
, Chiba
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
. It was here he started to experiment using torn pieces of paper to create pictures. His talent was recognised by mental health expert Ryuzaburo Shikiba, who organised an exhibition of Yamashita's work in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
which received wide praise.
Tiring of life at the institution, and in order to avoid the mandatory physical examination for recruitment into the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
, Yamashita ran away in 1940 to start his wandering around Japan, which would last until 1954.
At the age of 21, staff from the institution found him helping in a restaurant and forced him to take the recruitment exam. Eventually he was considered exempt from service. The events from this time were recorded in his “Wandering Diary” of 1956, and the most popular image of Yamashita travelling alone through the country with his rucksack comes from this period.
Works
Yamashita used the Chigiri-eChigiri-e
is a technique using coloured paper torn to create images . The technique dates from the Heian period of Japanese history when it was often used in conjunction with calligraphy. Hand-made paper is essential for the creation of chigiri-e images.-History:In Japan's Heian period chigiri-e was used in...
method of sticking torn pieces of coloured paper together to depict the scenery he saw on his travels, and some of his most famous works such as "Nagaoka no hanabi" and "Sakurajima" were made in this way. Possessing eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
, Yamashita usually recreated the entire scene from memory when he returned to the institution or his home. Because of this, Yamashita is often considered an idiot savant.
In the post-war period, he became widely known as the “Japanese Van Gogh” or the “Naked General” (due to his habit of wearing only a vest during his travels). In 1956, the Kiyoshi Yamashita Exhibition opened at the Daimaru store in Tokyo, and toured the country, stopping at 130 places in Japan and attracting over 500,000 visitors. In June 1961, Yamashita and Shikiba embarked on a 40 day tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Here he recorded the many famous places and monuments he saw.
Legacy
His work is still highly regarded throughout Japan, and is the subject of frequent exhibitions. His life was portrayed in a long-running Japanese television dramaJapanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
, , which ran from 1980 to 1997.
External links
(This article is an attempted translation of the Japanese Wikipedia article of the same name, and is ongoing.)