Suga Tatehiko

Suga Tatehiko 菅楯彦 (1878-1963) 

BIOGRAPHY

Suga Tatehiko was born in Tattori prefecture and later moved to Osaka. His given name was Totarō (藤太郎). He learned Tosa-style painting from his father Suga Seinan (菅盛南) and under the direction of Kamagaki Haruoka (鎌垣師) studied Japanese and old Chinese literature which strongly influenced his drawing style. Kamakgaki would give him is artist name (gō) Tatehiko. He painted scenes of history and customs in the yamato-e (Japanese pictures) style, many depicting scenes of Osaka daily life. He exhibited at the Nitten and was a member of the Osaka Art Society. He was the first nihonga painter to receive the Gift Award (Onshi-shō 恩賜賞) from the Japanese Academy of Arts in 1957. In 1962 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Osaka. 

The following woodblock prints by Tatehiko were published by the Osaka company Nagai & Company and were designed to be incorporated into paper fans.