Exhibition/event has ended.
“Kodomo no Tomo” Original Illustrations from the Fujin no Tomo-sha Collection
Itabashi Art Museum
Finished
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Artists
Yumeji Takehisa, Rakuten Kitazawa, Tomoyoshi Murayama et al.
A new culture of modernism geared toward children flourished in the Taisho period (1912–26). This climate of freedom produced the children’s picture book magazine “Kodomo no Tomo” (Children’s Companion), launched by the publisher Fujin no Tomo-sha in 1914. Running for 30 years until a paper shortage during WWII shut it down, Kodomo no Tomo fostered modern personhood through children’s independence with a proactive approach to lifestyle education. Its diverse contents including illustrations, stories, comics, and quizzes were loved by many children, with artistry boasting the refreshingly unrestrained and humorous direction of Rakuten Kitazawa and the richly lyrical style of Yumeji Takehisa. In its later years, the magazine printed the works of artists such as Takeo Takei and Tomoyoshi Murayama, who would come to be known as Japan’s first generation of children’s illustrators.
This exhibition presents more than 150 original illustrations from Kodomo no Tomo, with a focus on the works of Rakuten Kitazawa, Yumeji Takehisa, Takeo Takei, and Tomoyoshi Murayama, as well as Koko Fukuzawa and other artists who contributed to the magazine up through the end of its publication. Copies of the magazine are displayed along with the illustrations, offering a moral compass to the adults of tomorrow in these turbulent times through the pages of “Kodomo no Tomo.”
[Related Event]
Lecture “Children’s Books and the Era of ‘Chisai Ouchi’ (The Little House)”
Speaker: Kyoko Nakajima (“Chisai Ouchi” author)
Date: Feb. 27 (Sat) 14:00–15:30
In Japanese. Please see the official website for details and information on more related events.
This exhibition presents more than 150 original illustrations from Kodomo no Tomo, with a focus on the works of Rakuten Kitazawa, Yumeji Takehisa, Takeo Takei, and Tomoyoshi Murayama, as well as Koko Fukuzawa and other artists who contributed to the magazine up through the end of its publication. Copies of the magazine are displayed along with the illustrations, offering a moral compass to the adults of tomorrow in these turbulent times through the pages of “Kodomo no Tomo.”
[Related Event]
Lecture “Children’s Books and the Era of ‘Chisai Ouchi’ (The Little House)”
Speaker: Kyoko Nakajima (“Chisai Ouchi” author)
Date: Feb. 27 (Sat) 14:00–15:30
In Japanese. Please see the official website for details and information on more related events.
Schedule | Feb 20 (Sat) 2016-Mar 27 (Sun) 2016 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥650, High School and University Students ¥450, Elementary School and Junior High School Students ¥200. | ||||
| Venue | Itabashi Art Museum https://www.city.itabashi.tokyo.jp/artmuseum/4000002/4000014.html  | ||||
| Location | 5-34-27 Akatsuka, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 175-0092 | ||||
| Access | 15 minute walk from the South exit of Nishi-takashimadaira Station on the Toei Mita line; From the North exit of Narimasu Station on the Tobu Tojo line, take the Kokusai Kogyo bus and get off at Kuritsu Bijutsukan. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3979-3251 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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