Kawamura Chiho
1921 (Taishō 10)
Donated by the artist
Kawamura Chiho (1896-1993) was born in Izumimachi, Tsuruoka Town (modern Izumimachi, Tsuruoka City). He was the eldest son of Kawamura Yoshijirō, who ran a business in the dyeing industry. His real name was Zentarō. He also went by the sobriquets of Kasetsu and Gashū. While studying at Yamagata Prefectural Shōnai Middle School (the current Tsuruoka Minami High School), he received instruction from Onuki Hakudō. Entering the Japanese painting department of the Tōkyō Fine Arts School (modern Tōkyō University of the Arts), he studied under Yūki Somei. While in university, his work was displayed at both the eighth and ninth Kaiga Exhibitions, with many of his works using women as a motif. He graduated from the above university in 1924, and was employed as an art teacher in Tōkyō. His work was then featured at the twentieth Educators Art Exhibit in 1933. The following year, he returned home to Tsuruoka, and continued to produce art while working as a fine arts teacher in both middle and high schools.