Beisaku, Taguchi

Taguchi Beisaku (1864 – 1903) was born in 1864 in Tochigi prefecture as the son of a rice merchant. In 1873 he went to Tokyo to study the art of painting, later meeting the painter and printmaker Kiyochika Kobayashi and learning woodblock printmaking. Under the influence of Kiyochika Kobayashi, Taguchi Beisaku learned the aspects of coloring, especially the shading of colors reflecting the influence of light and shadows.

Taguchi Beisaku died rather young at the age of 40. He is primarily known for the woodblock prints with scenes from the Sino-Japanese war of 1894/95, mostly made as triptychs. The Japanese who unanimously supported the war with a wave of nationalism bought these triptychs as illustrated latest news from the front and a display of their support for the war.