Biography Mori, Yoshitoshi (1898 - 1992)

Yoshitoshi Mori was 18 when, together with Yamakawa Shûhô, the man who was teaching him textile dyeing, he attended a party given by Kaburagi Kiyokata, which sparked off his interest in ukiyo-e. In the late 20s he was famous as a craftsman of kimono patterns. In 1938 he attended a lecture by Yanagi Sôetsu (1891-1961), which stimulated his interest in Mingei, folkcraft. After WWII, in the 50s he made his first stencil prints. Since then he became famous as an artist, but only after 1960 did he consider himself an artist and no longer a crafsman. Sadao Watanabe and he are the two main artists that have kept the art of stencil-prints (kappazuri-e) alive. Hiromitsu Takahashi (b. 1959) has followed in their footsteps.