Edutainment > Saburosuke Okada - 1869-1939

Heroine Osan
from Dai Chikamatsu Zenshu

Saburosuke Osada studied Western style painting and steel plate printmaking techniques. Japanese art lovers know him for oil paintings of nudes in realistic, slightly impressionist manner. Western print collectors appreciate his famous woodblock print titled Heroine Osan.

Assistant Professor at Tokyo School of Fine Arts

Saburosuke Okada was born in Saga prefecture. Following the trend of the era he studied Western style painting and became soon an assistant professor at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts at age 27.

On Official Mission in France

In 1897 Okada Saburosuke was sent on an official mission by the Japanese Ministry of Education. He should study Western painting and print making techniques. And Paris was the art center of the world at that time. Paris had a small community of Japanese artists around the turn of the century. They had problems with the language and therefore were rather isolated with little contact to the leading artists of the era. But they saw the works of the post-impressionist painters such as van Gogh or Paul Gauguin and realized the beginning of Fauvism. The Japanese artists were more confused by what was going on in the art scene than enthusiastic.

Okada Saburosuke became a student of Raphael Collin, a traditional painter in the style that had been mainstream before the arrival of the impressionist painters. From Collin he learned Western oil painting. Later he also studied Western print making techniques. Okada Saburosuke stayed in Paris until 1902.

Founder of Nihon Hanga Kyokai

Back in Japan Okada resumed teaching at the Tokyo School of fine Arts. He worked in Western oil painting and in metal plate print making techniques like etching. In 1923 he contributed a woodblock print - famous and coveted by collectors - the Heroine Osan to the Complete Collection of Chikamatsu.

In 1931 Okada Saburosuke founded the Nihon Hanga Kyokai - Japan Print Cooperative Society - and became its first chairman. Yamamoto Kanae, the grandfather of Sosaku Hanga, became vice-president. Okada Saburosuke had convinced the members of the Yofu Hangakai (Western Style Print Society) and the Sosaku Hanga Kyokai to dissolve their organizations and unite in the new Nihon Hanga Kyokai.

In 1937 at age 70, he received the Order for Cultural Merits.

Literature sources used for this Saburosuke Okada biography

• Helen Merritt and Nanako Yamada, "Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975", published by University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, ISBN 0-8248-1732-X
• Helen Merritt, "Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints - The early years", published by University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1990, ISBN 0-8248-1200-X

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