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Created page with "*''Born: 1908/7/23'' *''Died: 1977/9/11'' *''Japanese'': 田中 一村 ''(Tanaka Isson)'' Tanaka Isson was a Nihonga painter known primarily for his paintings of..."
*''Born: [[1908]]/7/23''
*''Died: 1977/9/11''
*''Japanese'': [[田中]] 一村 ''(Tanaka Isson)''

Tanaka Isson was a [[Nihonga]] painter known primarily for his paintings of motifs and themes from the [[Amami Islands]].

He was born July 23, [[1908]], in Shimotsuga district, [[Tochigi prefecture]]. Demonstrating artistic talent from a very young age, he won a [[Ministry of Education]] award after showing at a painting exhibition at the age of 7.

In 1926, he enrolled at the [[Tokyo Art School]], specializing in ''Nihonga''. This was at the same time that such now-famous painters as [[Higashiyama Kaii]] were at the school. Due to a variety of circumstances, however, Isson left the School after only three months.

Isson relocated from Tokyo to [[Chiba prefecture]] in 1938, where he painted ''[[fusuma]]-e'' (sliding doors) and ceilings for a time. In 1946, several of his paintings were selected for inclusion at the 19th Seiryûkai exhibition, but he decided to quit the Tokyo-centered art world and left to travel.

In late 1958, he found his way to [[Amami Oshima|Amami Ôshima]] and decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life there. For the next twenty years, he produced paintings of sub-tropical island flora and fauna and other such themes while working in [[Oshima tsumugi|Ôshima tsumugi]] textile dyeing. He died on Sept 11, 1977, leaving behind roughly thirty paintings.

It wasn't until his works were featured on an NHK television program in 1984-85, however, that he gained any considerable fame or recognition (and then, only posthumously). Isson has since become a decidedly notable and known name within the modern history of Japanese art, and a museum on Amami dedicated to his paintings is a major tourist attraction on the island. One of his old houses on the island has also been maintained.

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==References==
*Plaques on-site at Isson's former house, Naze City, Amami Ôshima.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/49490484258/sizes/h/]

[[Category:Artists and Artisans]]
[[Category:Ryukyu]]
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