Yoshio Shimizu. Boy Jumping Rope, 1972

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Pioneers of the Land of Art for Children: The Seven Members of the Japan Doga Artists Association

Between Japan’s Taisho (1912–1926) and Showa (1926–1989) periods, numerous high-quality picture magazines for children were published, including Kodomo no Tomo (Children’s Companion), Akai Tori (Red Bird) and Kodomo no Kuni (Children’s Land). Supporting this golden age of art publications for children was a group of artists who went beyond simply making illustrations for children’s literature to create a unique artistic genre, called Doga (art for children). To this end, they established the Japan Doga Artists Association and competed with one another in producing artistic illustrations for children. In this exhibition we will introduce the artwork of these Japan Doga Artists Association members—Kiichi Okamoto, Shiro Kawakami, Yoshio Shimizu, Takeo Takei, Shigeru Hatsuyama, Shozo Fukazawa and Tomoyoshi Murayama—and exhibit the Doga to which they aspired.