The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama

Tojiro Oshita was a pioneering watercolor painter during the Meiji era when watercolor first developed as a prominent medium in the world of Japanese art. Oshita is best known for his serene landscape works. At the age of 21, he passed up a job at his family’s business in favor of a career in painting. While most Japanese artists at the time chose oil as their primary medium, Oshita elected to work with watercolor while studying under Nakamaru Seijuro and Harada Naojiro during the late 19th century. He went on to found Taiheiyo Gakai (the Pacific Art Society) with fellow artists Yoshida Hiroshi and Nakagawa Hachiro, and later authored a well-known guide to watercolor painting technique. Visitors to this exhibition will have a unique chance to examine some of Oshita’s best works and overall influence, which has been credited for the flourishing of watercolor as a common medium throughout Japan.