Edutainment > Toru Shimizu - born 1938

Maeda Koichi - Biography
New Year's Day, 1983
copyright Toru Shimizu

After dealing in Japanese prints for more than a decade, and after having sold ten thousands of Japanese prints, you think you know all important artists. Wrong. We have always been convinced that there are still discoveries to be made - especially among artists of the twentieth century and among contemporary artists. Here is a discovery - Toru Shimizu, born 1938.

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Toru Shimizu - Mentioned by Helen Merritt

In summer of 2009 we received a consignment of 6 prints by Toru Shimizu. The prints came directly from Japan - but without any further information about the artist. However Toru Shimizu is mentioned in the Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints (see literature reference). This is what is written:

"Born 1938 in Toyama prefecture. Self-taught hanga artist. Sets of prints include Snow Country (Yukiguni), 1971, Four Seasons in Japan (Nihon no shiki), 1973-1974, and Autumn in Paris (Pari no aki), 1974. Style is detailed and descriptive."

Large Silkscreen Prints

Kusaka Kenji - Biography
Children's Day, 1999
copyright Toru Shimizu

The prints that we received from Japan were made in silkscreen technique and they are very, very large with a paper size of ca. 100 by 70 cm. The prints show traditional festivities in Japan. Each sheet is attributed to a certain year like a calendar prints.

Before, we had received also one woodblock print by Toru Shimizu.

Where is the Biography?

We have no other information about Toru Shimzu than the few lines that we could find in the "Guide to Modern Woodblock Prints".

Trying to get information about contemporary Japanese artists is a nuisance. Imagine that today's worldwide collector community has very little information, sometimes not even the year of birth or death even of famous twentieth century printsmakers like for instance Ito Sozan (1884-?) or Koho Shoda (1871?-1946?) or Biho Takahashi - (1873-?). I think this is simply ridiculous. Do the Japanese have a complete lack of appreciation of their own artists and their own cultural heritage? Or is it the manifestation of a society in which only the collective counts and not the individual?

Japanese Printmakers - little known outside Japan

Waichi Hayashi - Biography
Lion Dance, 1998
copyright Toru Shimizu

Only a small part of today's contemporary Japanese printmakers is known outside Japan. The knowledge of Western art friends is basically limited to the annual catalogs (in English) of the famous CWAJ Print Shows at the American Club in Tokyo, to the renowned Yoseido Gallery in Tokyo with a large web site (in English) and to the export activities of Kyoto publishers Uchida and Unsodo.

Masters in Hiding

Why is it so difficult to get information about today's Japanese printmakers?

In my view there are three reasons. First, the language barrier, second, they mistrust foreigners, and third, the Japanese mentality. Japanese people hate to show themselves. They are masters in hiding and don't feel at ease about the idea of coming out of their closets.

Hardly any of the contemporary Japanese printmakers has a web site, and if they have one it is in Japanese only. And if they have a web site, you can be sure that it does not show the artist's address and if you should find an e-mail address it will bounce back or you will never get an answer. Or try a fax number. It never works. At best, you will hear an automatic answering machine - in Japanese of course.

Creating for the Japanese Market

Yamataka Noboru - Biography
Photo Session in Spring, 1985
copyright Toru Shimizu

In my view most of the Japanese artists do not care about creating art for an international audience. The subjects are entirely Japanese - often with Japanese text or a Japanese poem - that no 'gaijin' (Japanese word for 'foreigner') will be able to read, and if he should happen to belong to a small minority who can read Japanese, he will not necessarily understand the text.

The Conclusion?

Going over my lines of nagging, one could come to a conclusion like;

"They want to be among themselves. Let's leave them alone."

But that would be a pity - for a simple reason. Contemporary Japanese printmakers make great moku hanga art. The world should get a chance to enjoy their art works - just as Westerners could enjoy Japanese shin hanga before and sosaku hanga after world war II.

Japanese Artist Associations

Shinoda Toko - Biography
Winter Day, 1984
copyright Toru Shimizu

Most Japanese print artists are members in one or more Japanese associations for printmakers, respectively artists. There are for instance Shunyo-kai Art Society or the Japan Print Association.

These are old and important societies with regular exhibitions for their members. These societies could contribute a lot to promoting contemporary Japanese printmaking outside Japan. Web sites in English with a possibility to acquire art works of their members from the web site would be a good beginning.

But they do nothing in that direction. And I don't think they will ever change anything. In order to open the market of contemporary Japanese printmakers for Western art lovers it would require a mission like the US navy fleet expedition under commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry in 1852 and 1854. ;-)

Dieter Wanczura
(August 2009)

Toru Shimizu Gallery

Much of the charm of the prints shown on this page is in the details showing Japanese traditional customs. We therefore made a few close ups for you.

Ray Morimura - Biography
Detail from New Year's Day, 1983
copyright Toru Shimizu

Sano Seiji - Biography
Detail from Children's Day, 1999
copyright Toru Shimizu

Miyashita Tokio - Biography
Detail from Lion Dance, 1998
copyright Toru Shimizu

Yuki Rei - Biography
Detail from Photo Session in Spring, 1985
copyright Toru Shimizu

Kazuyuki Ohtsu - Biography
Detail from Winter Day, 1984
copyright Toru Shimizu

Literature sources used for this Short Biography of Toru Shimizu

• 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.

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