Yoshida Family Artists - Hodaka's Broader Interests

Hodaka's Broader Interests

Parallel to this, Hiroshi and Fujio’s second son Hodaka Yoshida (1926–1995) became an artist entirely independent both of his father’s authority and his aesthetic. The first in the family to focus on abstract art, he began by exhibiting his oils, and then moved to woodblock prints.(Allen et al., 110-11) He was a pioneer in Japan in employing new technologies and techniques, like copper-etching, lithograph, and silkscreen, often with photo-transfer methods, and always in combination with woodblocks. In addition, he gained recognition in the areas of avant-garde poetry, photography, sculpture from various materials, and ceramics. Prints, however, remained his main passion.(Allen et al., 114) He was highly regarded in the world of international biennials, received many prizes, and was awarded two distinguished medals for his art by the Emperor.(Allen et al., 112) (A Japanese Legacy, 112) Hodaka’s wife Chizuko Yoshida (1924- ), also a nationally and internationally recognized artist, added to the range of modern abstract art in the family.(Allen et al., 178f) That trajectory reached its highest point in the work of their daughter, Ayomi Yoshida (1958- ), who has created distinctly postmodern works, both in the woodblock medium and in large-room installations.(Allen et al., 196-7) Her husband, Bidou Yamaguchi, is a Noh mask carver in the Hosho Noh tradition.

Viewed in the context of Japan’s rich history of art, the Yoshida family is notable for having created such a sustained, and diverse range of fine art that combines the best Japanese aesthetic instincts with a clear modern international appeal. (Andon 1996, 12)