Maggs Bros. Ltd.

A comical take on the reconstruction of Ginza after the War by manga artist Aso Yutaka.

Aso Yutaka (1898-1961) was born in Yokoyama village (Oita Pre.). After graduating from elementary school he studied mechanical engineering with the aim of becoming a pilot. After witnessing an aircraft training accident he changed his mind and enrolled in the Hongo Bijutsu Kenkyujo to study Western art. In 1920 he joined the Manga Korakukai school run by Kitazawa Rakuten and in 1922 joined the Hochi Newspaper as a caricaturist. There he became famous for a series entitled 'Nonkina Tosan [Easygoing Dad]' which was published from 1923 onwards and ran for over 600 episodes. He was drafted into the army in 1938 and posted to Northern China and Manchuria working for the military press corps.

After the war he established a studio in the Ginza and drew a series of 20 panoramic paintings of the reconstruction of Ginza, the first three of which were privately published in the present scroll. No other sections were subsequently printed. The scroll is composed of three panoramic scenes amongst the rubble of the Ginza, the first of which opens with a small Communist demonstration held in front of the Bunka-do shop [Hall of Culture]. The second features demobilised soldiers, friends meeting for the first time and orphans playing amongst wrecked cars, while the third shows GI in front of a Cabaret, as well as an open fish-market and shoe cobblers.

The introduction states: "The war ended in utter defeat. In the dark depth of my prostration, I grew thin as I pondered: 'I must do something. Surely, there must be something I can do?' It was then that I thought of painting a picture scroll depicting the gradual restoration of Ginza. Practically all the cities of Japan, that could be called cities, lay in devastated ruins. Physically and mentally, the people lay crushed. What lay ahead? Even a minute could not be wasted. Time marched inexorably on, second by second [...] The reason for my choice was my realization that Tokyo was the center of Japan and Ginza, in turn, the center of Tokyo [...] The original painting was begun in 1646 and painted on three panels, each measuring one and a half feet in width and six feet in length."

No copy in OCLC.