Photo/Illutration An illustration showing a farmer treating a young Aichi Mizuno to a bowl of rice and other dishes in exchange for ceramics (Risako Miyake)

SETO, Aichi Prefecture--Aichi Mizuno started drawing illustrations several years ago about how he suffered from hunger during and after World War II.

The 83-year-old, known for his woodblock prints of nostalgic-looking station buildings and trains of a local railway line, had long thought he was unqualified to share his war experiences because he never fought on the front lines.

“After I turned 80, I started vividly recalling my memories from back then,” Mizuno said about food shortages he experienced as a young boy.

One illustration drawn with pencils and watercolor paints shows Mizuno complaining about his hunger in the kitchen when he was 5.

His mother, dressed in a “kappogi” apron and “monpe” baggy work pants, tells Mizuno to wait a little longer as she cooks sweet potatoes.

“I hardly remember a time when I felt full,” Mizuno said.

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An illustration of locusts and loaches served as food during wartime (Risako Miyake)

Other subjects include a young Mizuno so starved that he cooks and eats locusts and frogs caught in farmlands; foxtail millet and soy pulp served instead of white rice, which was precious at the time; and the boy and his mother carrying a heavy bag containing ceramics and visiting farmers to ask for food in exchange.

Dulcin and other cheap artificial sweeteners were used to prepare “shiruko” sweet soup because sugar was not available. Pumpkin seeds were dried and roasted for food.

“I drew what I experienced and saw,” Mizuno said. “It was really a hard time.”

Each illustration was drawn from a concrete episode.

One shows Mizuno being chased by an angry neighbor after hunger drove him to steal a daikon radish from a farm field and bite into it.

An exhibition featuring 35 illustrations about the difficult years of his life is scheduled to run from Oct. 8 to Feb. 12 at the Seto-Gura Museum in Seto.

Mizuno initially had no intention to show his works because he had drawn them as personal notes.

But they caught the attention of Tadashi Muto, 62, the museum’s director and Mizuno’s longtime acquaintance.

Mizuno recreated his illustrations based on the originals drawn in a notepad and gave color to his works.

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An illustration of radish, carrot and corn, which were difficult to procure during wartime (Risako Miyake)

Mizuno has loved drawing since his childhood, creating oil paintings and other works as a hobby.

After he retired at age 60, he threw his energy into producing woodblock prints that feature the daily lives of his hometown renowned for ceramics, as well as the station buildings and trains of Nagoya Railroad Co.’s Seto Line, cherished by locals as “Setoden.”

However, Mizuno had never drawn illustrations about war.

He now hopes his illustrations can convey the war experiences of a young boy far from the battlefields.

He also wants people to think more about the importance of food because he sees food wasted in TV shows and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a global food crisis.

Mizuno intends to depict not only his own experiences, but also what he learned from his father and others.

“I only have terrible memories about war,” he said. “But I want to convey war experiences outside the battlefields as a person who lived through the time.”

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