Painting genius Kiyoshi Yamashita (1922-1971) is the subject of many TV dramas and films based on his traveling journeys. 

In those fictional stories, Kiyoshi is famed for loving onigiri rice balls and venturing out in a tank top and shorts with close-cropped hair.

But what was he really like in real life?

A visit to an exhibition titled “100th Anniversary of the Birth of Yamashita Kiyoshi: A Retrospective” at the Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo’s Nishi-Shinjuku district offers clues.

On display at the exhibit, which will run through Sept. 10, are 190 pieces of art including “hari-e” collages, oil paintings, ink drawings and watercolors. A backpack and a “yukata” casual kimono that Kiyoshi donned to ramble about are likewise shown.

DIFFICULT EARLY YEARS

Hiroshi Yamashita, 62, Kiyoshi’s nephew who lived with him for nearly 11 years until Kiyoshi's death at age 49, provided personal accounts as well. Hiroshi is the eldest son of Kiyoshi's younger brother, Tatsuzo.

Born in the capital’s traditional Asakusa district, Kiyoshi was stricken by a severe digestive disorder when he was 3.

It was difficult for Kiyoshi to fit into elementary school given his stuttering and developmental problems. As he was bullied, he was transferred to the Yawata Gakuen facility in Chiba Prefecture for children needing special care after turning 12.

Kiyoshi quickly mastered the “chigiri-e” paper collage at classes. He started creating his own unique world of hari-e, showing off his skills while utilizing tiny fragments of colored paper and their twisted counterparts called “koyori.”

His early hari-e works made in his teens during his days at Yawata Gakuen are exhibited at the latest display co-organized by the Sompo Museum of Art and The Asahi Shimbun.

Old postage stamps, fliers, wrapping material and other ingredients were used for his productions at the time when colored paper was difficult to procure on the home front around World War II.

Old stamps were applied to “Friends” and “Chestnuts,” both created in 1938, with the aim of generating a peculiar texture and a solid look alongside delicate contrasts of light and shade skillfully with their patterns.

“Kiyoshi’s painting motifs initially centered on insects but he gradually began depicting friends, indicating that he expanded his scope of interest to mankind, too,” said Hiroshi.

HITTING THE ROAD FOR ADVENTURE

Turning 18, Kiyoshi left Yawata Gakuen with some belongings in a “furoshiki” wrapping cloth. This marked the start of his renowned journeys that continued intermittently until Kiyoshi turned 32.

Drawn afterward in 1955 with a pencil, “Going out from Yawata Gakuen School” illustrates Kiyoshi jumping out of a window with furoshiki. His cool-looking back appears to reflect his determination.

His departure might be dubbed as “the night at 18” for Kiyoshi after Yutaka Ozaki’s famed song “15 no Yoru” (The night at 15), which portrays a youngster’s adolescence.

On his trip, Kiyoshi at times worked as a live-in at a fish store, “soba” noodle restaurant and bento shop. He would spend some time at those places but soon set out on new journeys to pursue his freedom.

Seeking employment, Kiyoshi stay overnight at stations and walked along train tracks on his trip to nowhere.

Each time that found Kiyoshi with nothing to eat, he would stop at nearby homes to ask for onigiri and rice with a bowl in his hands.

Such a scene is reproduced in the pencil drawing “Getting Free Supper, Fukuroi,” which dates to 1954.

Also shown in the heartwarming title is the kindness of people in the Showa Era (1926-1989) who provided meals to the needy Kiyoshi, as they were struggling themselves in dire food shortages during and following the end of the war.

The yukata and backpack Kiyoshi wore during his travels are also among the showpieces at the exhibition.

He reportedly typically relied on yukata in summer and donned a warm kimono in winter.

The well-worn, brownish backpack is said to have accommodated a pair of bowls for rice and soup, chopsticks, a towel, extra clothes and five stones to drive away barking dogs to protect himself.

Kiyoshi was in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, in 1949. A fireworks display there was replicated the following year in “Fireworks, Nagaoka” in a dynamic but delicate fashion.

It is a representative piece of art among hari-e created by Kiyoshi in his late 20s.

Kiyoshi worked on hari-e after returning to his residence or Yawata Gakuen. He drew on his incredible power of memory to duplicate past scenes in his mind unlike the protagonist of his film and TV dramas creating hari-e and sketches on his journey.

Koyori paper strings were pasted to depict blooming fireworks. Pyrotechnic works reflected on the river surface and the crowd-packed venue were adeptly reproduced in the hari-e in exquisite detail.

“Even the fireworks show a year earlier was lively illustrated as if he had viewed it in the current summer,” said Hiroshi.

“The momentary splendor was branded in his mind to retrace the scene via a hari-e. All developments in time from the fireworks display’s beginning to its end are captured in a single hari-e.”

Dating also to 1950, “Fishing, Kanamachi” shows the fine designs of people’s garments reflected on the water surface.

The real appeal of Kiyoshi’s productions seemingly lies in the daunting level of detailed handwork.

An exhibit themed on Kiyoshi was held in 1956 at what currently is the Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store in Tokyo, drawing 800,000 visitors over its 26-day period.

With the hari-e “Glover House” released the same year with his signature, Kiyoshi started adding his mark to works around that time. His elaborately written autograph may represent his pride and confidence as a painter.

EXHIBITION SHOWCASES ARTIST'S LIFE

At the “100th Anniversary of the Birth of Yamashita Kiyoshi,” art fans can enjoy Kiyoshi’s unique world and the nostalgic ambience of the Showa Era through a hari-e self-portrait, landscape works based on his travels to Europe, ink drawings and nuanced designs painted on ceramics.

Especially noticeable are hari-e showing the sights in Germany, Switzerland, France and other regions across Europe that look like oil paintings when viewed from afar.

Small paper pieces and koyori were utilized to realize what should be labeled as the ultimate level of elaboration.

Kiyoshi is one of the most popular painters among citizens in Japan, and his counterfeit works are distributed to the market.

Hiroshi is thus moving ahead of this activity to pass down the attraction of Kiyoshi’s real creations to posterity, certifying and keeping his works while managing their copyrights at the same time.

“My uncle was not highly esteemed in his earlier days in art circles since he had neither graduated from art school nor received existent art education,” said Hiroshi.

Hiroshi continued, “Organizing displays at museums was difficult so his works were exhibited at events in departments stores. Exhibits can now be held at museums, meaning he ends up gaining a high reputation as a painter.”

Hiroshi traced Kiyoshi’s life path.

“My uncle wandered around likely because he wanted to come across beautiful scenes in a wide range of destinations,” said Hiroshi. “He needed time to think about nothing and valued a flexible lifestyle so he would not be restricted by anything.

“I would like modern people in this busy age to learn about how my uncle lived his life via the exhibition, too.”

Kiyoshi was called “Japan’s Van Gogh.” Uttered when he was spotted in Kagoshima Prefecture during his trip at the age of 31, the impressive comment seems to be in line with Hiroshi’s recollection.

“I feel like painting upon finding nice scenery,” Kiyoshi was quoted as saying in a 1954 Asahi Shimbun article about the discovery of Kiyoshi in Japanese-style clothing and wooden sandals with a backpack.

“But I know nothing about such people as Van Gogh or (Henri) Rousseau. I may remain a vagabond for the rest of my life.”

Encountering the paintings and words of Kiyoshi, people these days may be able to relax as they are frequently obsessed with unwarranted pride, vanity, social shackles and various other difficulties.

The “100th Anniversary of the Birth of Yamashita Kiyoshi” is accessible daily, excluding Mondays, from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. The venue is open for entry until 30 minutes before the museum's daily closing.

Admission is 1,400 yen ($10) for adults and 1,100 yen for college and university students. Those of elementary, junior high and senior high school age or individuals with physical disability certificates are exempted from admission.

A discounted advance ticket for adults is available for 1,300 yen.

Visitors do not need to make reservations beforehand to enter the site on specific dates or during certain hours.

For more details, visit the exhibition’s official website at (https://www.sompo-museum.org/en/exhibitions/2022/yamashitakiyoshi/).

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Editor’s note: This article is part of the Aging Gracefully Project, under which The Asahi Shimbun collaborated with Takarajimasha Inc.’s women’s magazine Glow in the hopes of creating a society for women in their 40s to 50s to enjoy growing older.