Studio: international art (51.1911)

Japanese Art and Artists of To-day.—IV. Wood and Ivory Carving

Formosa as a soldier, and while on duty there
his friends perceived his ability in carving, and
persuaded him to carve a statue of Prince Kita
Shirakawa, under whom he was stationed. The
equestrian statue which he consequently executed
of the Prince, carved in wood, and now in Yush-
yukan at the Kudan, won for him a reputation
as a skilled carver. While in the army he served

IVORY CARVING: “A WOOD-CUTTER”
BY MURATA KICHIGORO

ivory car-
vers before
he retires.

Among his
works in
ivory, that
of a Child
with Cock
(p. i o 6)
shows his
extreme
cleverness
in a diffi-
cult task.

The fowl is
full of life
and move-
ment. Per-
s im m o ns
(p. 107) is
another
subject of
his ivory.

It depicts
a good-
naturedold
country-
man extending a persimmon with his right hand,
and the amiable expression upon his face suggests
that he is giving this fruit to a child. Still another

IVORY CARVING: “A BEAUTY”

BY OGURA MASAKO

in the cavalry, and one is not sur-
prised to learn that he became
very fond of horses, and made this
animal his favourite subject in
carving. He went to France and
Germany at the time of the Paris
Exposition in 1900, where he
studied the methods of the carvers
of the West. Upon his return to
Japan he became a pupil of Asai
Chu, and learned oil painting, as
Yonehara learned of Gaho.

Yoshida Homei learned the art
of ivory carving from Shimamura
Shimmei. Although a young man
of thirty-five, he has done some
good work and displayed much
skill and capability in the treat-
ment of diverse subjects. He has
undoubtedly a very bright future
before him, and some predict that
he will be one of Japan’s greatest wood carving: “suiko” (Chinese poet) by yonehara unkai

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