Yamada Shinzan
Japanese, 1885 - 1977
Source: https://okimu.jp/en/art_museum/about/
Person TypeIndividual
Biography"For several hundred years, the Ryukyu [Okinawan] royal government patronized artists. When the kingdom was abolished, artists lost their patron. Among these court artists were Soukyou Nagamine, who did ink paintings of southern island scenes, and Seisei Higa, a painter of genre pictures. When the kingdom ceased to exist and artists such as these lost their places, the traditions of this court art were gradually swallowed up, as it were, in modern Japan. Artists working in the Japanese style began to appear toward the end of the Ryukyu Kingdom era. This style did last until the Showa period but it failed to hold the interest of later generations. All in all, only a few artists were involved. Shinzan Yamada studied sculpture and later the Japanese style with Kou-un Takamura at the Tokyo School of Art before returning home. Yamada was still active after the war. His major works are the Shoutoku Painting Hall’s 'Establishment of Ryukyu Han,' and the great Kannon statue in the Okinawa Peace Memorial Hall in Itoman City."
Source: https://okimu.jp/en/art_museum/about/