Saru Gallery
       Japanese Prints & Japanese Paintings

Biography Kobayakawa, Kiyoshi (1896 - 1948)

The 1930s are Kiyoshi Kobayakawa's decade. In the 20s Itô Shinsui and Torii Kotondo had started a tradition of modern bijin prints. Kiyoshi Kobayakawa's prints fit in wonderfully well. Striking are his depictions of "modern life" in Tokyo in the turbulent 30s. His works were included in the 1936 Toledo (USA) exhibition. He worked for various publishers. In the 1950s a number of his prints were reprinted by the publisher Takamizawa. Though the quality of these reprints is quite good (like the reprints of Goyô's and Kotondo's work) they should not be mistaken for the original prints.