Illustrations of Children During the Artist’s Middle Career Stage

Chihiro gave birth to a son in 1951, who became her constant model for her paintings. She sketched him and his friends every day. “Whenever I received a request for an illustration that had no restrictions, I always found myself drawing my child, although unconsciously,” Chihiro said. From the 1950s to the 1960s, Chihiro’s works were frequently published in monthly children’s picture magazines that featured stories, songs and descriptions of seasonal events for children in kindergartens and nursery schools. For these magazines, Chihiro depicted children in a variety of ways with her son and his friends as models. She put a lot of thought into children’s poses and layouts in a way that would capture their lively movements, and carefully portrayed the colors and patterns of their clothes.