Rediscovering Kyuho Kotera

Itami City Museum of Art

[Image: Folding Screen "The Austere Age of Mizuno Roju" Itami City Museum of Art Collection]

This event has ended.

Itami City Museum of Art presents the first Japanese exhibition for Kyuho Kotera (1889–1962), a manga artist who resided in Itami City. In addition leaving his mark in the annals of Japanese manga history with work appearing in publications such as the lifestyle weekly Shunkan Asahi and the children’s magazine Kodomo Asahi, Kotera also produced newspaper art, illustrations, poster designs, kamishibai picture story show drawings, and more.

Some of Kotera’s most famous works include the topical and satirical “Senryu Poems with Manga” series featured in the long-running manga magazine “Osaka Puck.” He also made a lasting imprint on future generations of manga artists through his influence on pupils such as Shichima Sakai, who worked with Osamu Tezuka. Although renowned for his skill, humor, and prolific output, Kotera was largely forgotten in the turbulent times between the pre- and post-war eras, and today is not widely know. This exhibition focuses on around 80 of Kotera’ works never exhibited before, including sketches, posters, picture journals, and folding screens, inviting viewers to rediscover this artist with ties to Itami City.