■Birth and childhood in Okayama (1884-1899)

- On September 16, 1884 (Meiji 17), Yumeji was born as the second son of the Takehisa family in Honjo Village, Oku District, Okayama Prefecture (now Setouchi City), and was named Mojiro. His family consisted of his father Kikuzo, his mother Yasuno, and his grandparents, as well as an older sister, Matsuka, who was six years older than him, and a younger sister, Sakae, who was six years younger. (The eldest son died at a young age.)

- The Takehisa family had once been a sake brewery that had been in business for generations, but his father Kikuzo also did some work selling sake, served as a village council member, and was a farmer.

- Yumeji was loved by his beautiful mother and older sister, and loved to draw from an early age. He remembers, "I picked up a brush and drew pictures of horses from the time I was just three years old" (Preface to "Souga").

・His talent blossomed under the guidance of Hattori Mokusaburo, a teacher at Oku Higher Elementary School, where Yumeji enrolled in 1895 (Meiji 28). Yumeji's liberal teaching method, which valued outdoor sketching rather than copying, proved successful, and Yumeji later reflected on Hattori, saying, "He was my first teacher and also my last" (preface to "Suga").

・His childhood home in his hometown of Okayama was located on the road from Saidaiji to Ushimado Port in the rice-growing-prosperous Sencho Plain. Before there was a railway, the town was a very busy post town, leading to Ushimado, an important port on the Seto Inland Sea.

・The Takehisa family, who loved the performing arts, hired the place to take care of Ise Kagura, puppeteers, and traveling performers. Yumeji, who spent his childhood in this environment, was greatly inspired by the performing arts and travel.
 

■Life in Kobe and Kitakyushu, moving to Tokyo (1899-1901)

・In 1899 (Meiji 32), Yumeji entered Kobe Junior High School (now Kobe High School) in Hyogo Prefecture. He left his home in Okayama and commuted to school from his uncle Takehisa Saigoro's house in Kobe.

・At junior high school, Yumeji became familiar with Christianity, English, and baseball, and being in Kobe, which was full of exotic atmosphere, he developed a longing for foreign countries, but this lifestyle did not last long and he dropped out after eight months.

・Yumeji's family, including his parents from Okayama, moved to Yawata/Edamitsu in Fukuoka Prefecture in December of the same year (they transferred the following year).

・In 1901 (Meiji 34), the government-run Yawata Steel Works began operations, and his father Kikuzo is said to have arranged for laborers to work at the steelworks. Yumeji moved to Yawata with his family and worked as a draftsman at a steelworks for a time, but in the summer of that year, he moved to Tokyo on his own.
 

■Entered Waseda Jitsugyo High School, became interested in socialism, submitted works and made his debut (1902-1905)

・After moving to Tokyo, Yumeji worked hard to study while working as a rickshaw puller and a clerk, but in September 1902 (Meiji 35), he entered Waseda Jitsugyo High School. He lived in a rented room with a friend from Waseda, in a farmhouse behind Kishimojin Temple in Zoshigaya, and through that friend, he got to know a socialist activist. He became involved with Heiminsha and became interested in its ideas.

・With the help of Arahata Kanson, Yumeji's drawing was published in the socialist journal Chokugen in June 1905 (Meiji 38). Yumeji contributed his satirical drawings on the subject of anti-war sentiments against the Russo-Japanese War.

・Yumeji taught himself how to draw, and submitted works to youth and literary magazines. It was during this period that he began to actively create writing and illustrations under the pen name "Yumeji." In June, his illustration "Tsutsui Tsutsu," submitted to "Chugaku Sekai," won the first prize.

・Although he was enrolled in the Waseda Jitsugyo College of Technology at the time, this award prompted Yumeji to drop out and concentrate on submitting works. Then, towards the end of the same year, he visited the publishing company Hakubunkan to collect the prize money for his submitted work, where he became acquainted with the editor Nishimura Shozan, and thus began his career as an artist.

Married Kishi Tamaki, heartbreak and birth of "Yoimachigusa", "Yumeji-style Beauties" and "Yumeji Art Collection" became hugely popular (1906-1911)

・In November 1906 (Meiji 39), Yumeji visited Tsuruya, a picture book store near Waseda Jitsugyo School, and met the store's owner, Kishi Tamaki. Tamaki was a widow two years older than Yumeji. Hearing that the store only had postcards of designs and landscapes, he brought in postcards of Waseda-Keio baseball games that he had painted himself, and quickly became close to the beautiful Tamaki.

・In January 1907 (Meiji 40), the two got married just two months after meeting. Yumeji was 22 years old.

・In 1908 (Meiji 41), their first son, Nijinosuke, was born. However, Yumeji and Tamaki were constantly fighting.

- In 1909 (Meiji 42), Yumeji and Tamaki divorced by mutual consent. However, their relationship continued afterwards, alternating between living together and living apart. (After this, their second son Fujihiko was born in 1911 (Meiji 44), and their third son Kusaichi was born in 1916 (Taisho 2).

- In the summer of 1910 (Meiji 43), Yumeji, who had broken up with Tamaki and was visiting Umikajima Island in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, to escape the summer heat, developed feelings for Hasegawa Katakana, who had come from Narita Town. She gave Yumeji an evening primrose, and Yumeji called her "Oshima-san," and the two deepened their friendship, but their summer romance did not bear fruit.

・Yumeji wrote a poem titled "Yoimachigusa" (Evening Grass) about his experience of heartbreak on Umikajima Island, and in 1913 (Taisho 2) published it in the current form of poetry, "Wait for the evening grass, I can't stand it anymore, the moon is shining brightly, I can't stand it anymore ... The face of Joei depicted has a small mouth and often has eyes slightly lowered, looking down, and Yumeji's tastes are scattered throughout the painting, from the hairstyle, clothing, accessories, and even the gestures. The hands and feet peeking out from the cuffs and hem of the kimono are also depicted prominently, reflecting Yumeji's unique idea that hands and feet express human emotions. In addition, the overall silhouette is gently S-shaped, expressing a sentimental and decadent atmosphere that reflects the curves and inner beauty of a woman. "Yumeji-style beauties" became very popular and were widely known as the ideal image of a woman in the Meiji and Taisho eras.

・During the Meiji period, Yumeji gained popularity through his many illustrations for magazines and postcards, but this was further solidified by the publication of "Yumeji Art Collection: Spring Volume" in 1909 (Meiji 42). This was his first art book, a compilation of frames published in many magazines, and solidified Yumeji's popularity.

- Yumeji published 18 books of his own artwork and writings during the Meiji period alone, and 57 more in total, including the "Yumeji Art Book" series. He displayed not only his talent for art but also his talent for writing, and gained many fans through his books. Thus, despite his turbulent private life, Yumeji rose to become a popular artist within a few years of his debut.
 

■Success of his first solo exhibition, "The First Yumeji Exhibition," and the opening of "Minatoya Ezoushiten" (1912-1914)

- In November 1912 (Taisho 1), he held his first solo exhibition, "The First Yumeji Exhibition," at the Kyoto Prefectural Library, and 137 pieces of his work were exhibited at the venue. Many of Yumeji's paintings had been widely available in the form of magazines, books, postcards, and other printed media, but this exhibition of oil paintings, watercolors, and other works from Japan was a great opportunity to view Yumeji's original works, and was a great success, attracting several thousand visitors every day.

・On October 1, 1914 (Taisho 3), Minatoya Ezoushiten opened in Nihonbashi Gofukucho, selling accessories designed by Yumeji. The store sold a range of items, including single-sheet woodblock prints by Yumeji, as well as chiyogami paper, illustrated envelopes, yukata, obi, and half-collars, as well as books, prints, and dolls. The store had the feel of a modern-day general store or select shop, and the accessories designed by Yumeji were very popular. The first floor of the store was not only used to sell Yumeji's products, but was also sometimes used as a gallery.

・Shortly after the store opened, the "First Minatoya Exhibition" was held on October 26th and 27th. The woodblock print collection "Tsukubae" by the members of the exhibition, Onchi Koshiro, Fujimori Shizuo, and Tanaka Kyokichi, as well as woodblock prints they created, were sometimes displayed in the store's display window. The second floor of the store was Yumeji's studio, but it also served as a salon where young people aspiring to be artists and friends gathered. Yumeji did not take on apprentices, but he would give advice to young artists and exchange art theories with them, deepening his relationships with them, and this place was called the "Yumeji School."

・The Minatoya Ezoushi store was one of Tokyo's specialties at the time, and was popular with young women. Tamaki ran the store with the aim of making a living, and Tamaki's work at the front of the store was also a hot topic, but his encounter with Kasai Hikono, who came to the store, greatly changed Yumeji's fate.
 

■Love with Kasai Hikono, living together in Kyoto (1914-1918)

・Shortly after the opening of Minatoya Ezoushiten, Hikono Kasai, the only daughter of the nearby paper wholesaler "Fuyosha Kasai Shoten" in Nihonbashi Honginmachi, visited the store and met Yumeji. Hikono was a generation younger than Yumeji and was 18 years old at the time.

・Many women came to the store because they admired Yumeji, and Hikono was one of them. However, she also wanted to be a painter, so she applied to Yumeji to receive painting lessons. The bright girl, with beautiful hands and visible incisors when she smiled, captured Yumeji's heart, and the two soon became romantically involved.

・However, Yumeji was unable to break free from his ties with other people, and Hikono's father doted on his daughter and monitored her actions, making it difficult for them to meet up, so they exchanged letters, calling Hikono "mountain" and Yumeji "river."

・In 1916 (Taisho 5), their third son, Soichi, was born.

・For about ten years, Yumeji and Tamaki alternated between living together and living apart, but in the autumn of 1916 (Taisho 5), they ended their relationship, and Yumeji left Minatoya Ezoushiten and traveled to Kyoto.

・After moving to Kyoto, Yumeji looked forward to a new life with Hikono. He rented a house on Kiyomizu Ninenzaka and started living there with his second son, Fujihiko, but Hikono could not come right away. This was because, in order to persuade her father, she used the excuse that she was going to Kyoto to study Japanese painting, and she sought the understanding and cooperation of those around her.

In June 1917 (Taisho 6), Hikono finally came to Kyoto, and started a new life with Yumeji next to the torii gate at the south gate of Kodaiji Temple. From August of that year, they spent three months traveling to Kanazawa and Yuwaku Onsen in the suburbs, spending happy days together.

・In March 1918 (Taisho 7), Hikono's father suddenly showed up at their residence in Kyoto. Despite Yumeji's persuasion, Hikono was taken back to Tokyo.

・In April of that year, preparations were underway to hold the "Second Takehisa Yumeji Lyrical Painting Exhibition" at the Kyoto Prefectural Library. Yumeji was determined to use the success of the exhibition as a betrothal gift to Hikono's father, but he found himself separated from Hikono. Nevertheless, the exhibition opened without incident, and with the help of a supporter, Hikono appeared at the venue during the exhibition period and was reunited with Yumeji.

・In August of that year, Yumeji left Hikono in Kyoto and set off on a trip to Kyushu. Hikono fell ill from the stress and physical strain, and was supposed to follow him later, but when they met up at Beppu Hot Springs, she fell ill and was hospitalized there. She was called back by her father again, and was re-admitted to Higashiyama Hospital in Kyoto at the end of September, and Hikono was placed under observation.

・The two were torn apart, and Yumeji withdrew from Kyoto and returned to Tokyo, and Hikono was also transferred to Tokyo at the end of the year and transferred to Juntendo Hospital in Ochanomizu.

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■Return to Tokyo, Meeting with Model Oha, and Hikono's Death (1919-1920)

・Yumeji returned to Tokyo and began living at the Kikufuji Hotel in Hongo. Even though he wanted to rush over to visit Hikono, his father refused to let him see her.

・In memory of Hikono, whom he called "Yama," Yumeji wrote poems about their memories together, and in February 1919, he published the collection of poems "Yama e Yosuru," which includes beautiful woodblock prints.

・The following month, Yumeji was able to meet Hikono for about three minutes for the first time in five months (letter to Okada Yachiyo, March 6), but the two continued to be unable to see each other.

・In the spring of that year, concerned friends of Yumeji, who was in the depths of despondency, arranged for him to be introduced to the model Sasaki Kaneyo. Although only 15 years old and still had the appearance of a young girl, she was popular as a model among art school students and professors.

・She became Yumeji's model and was called "Oyou", and works were produced for her. In June 1919 (Taisho 8), these works were also displayed at Yumeji's solo exhibition "Exhibition by Women and Children" held at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi.

・Hikono passed away on January 16, 1920 (Taisho 9), without ever recovering from her illness. She lived to be 23 years and 9 months old.

​

■Return to Tokyo, Meeting with Model Oyou, and Death of Hikono (1919-1920)

・In addition to her work as a model, Oyou began living with Yumeji, taking care of him by giving him tea, cleaning, and doing his laundry. Oha, who was 20 years younger than Yumeji, called Yumeji "Papa," and Yumeji treated her with a fatherly feeling. He taught Oha, who had difficulty reading and writing, how to write letters, and wanted to turn her into the ideal woman, so he dressed her in kimonos and obi of his own choosing. Oha's beautiful appearance was described as "a woman who seemed to have come out of Yumeji's paintings."

・Oha wanted to marry Yumeji, but he had no intention of doing so, and the two were constantly fighting due to their misunderstanding.

・In 1921 (Taisho 10), Yumeji ended his life at the Kikufuji Hotel and moved to Tabata with Oha for a time, then started living in Shibuya.

・The Great Kanto Earthquake occurred on September 1, 1923 (Taisho 12).

・The earthquake prompted Yumeji, who had been living in a rented house, to build a home and studio he designed himself, "Shonen Sanso (Boy's lodge)," in Matsubara, Matsuzawa Village (now Matsubara, Setagaya Ward), and moved there at the end of 1924 (Taisho 13).

・Yumeji, Oha, Nijinosuke, Fujihiko, and a young student began living at "Shonen Sanso." However, the relationship between Yumeji and Oha deteriorated, and there was even an incident where the student attempted suicide by taking poison.

・Oha went to the time to heal her body and mind, but during that time Yumeji started a romantic relationship with Yamada Yukiko, an upper-class writer whom he met while designing a book cover. They also traveled together to her hometown of Akita, but the relationship ended after about two months.

・While traveling, Oyou found out about Yumeji's relationship with Junko, and in the summer of 1927 (Taisho 14), she finally left Yumeji.

The "Mount Haruna Art Institute Project" and a long-awaited overseas trip (1926-1933)

・As the Taisho era ended and the era name changed to Showa, Yumeji's surroundings changed drastically.

・From May 1927 (Showa 2), Yumeji serialized his autobiographical picture novel "Departure" in the Miyako Shimbun. It candidly described his journey to that point, his love life, and his feelings at the time.

・In the spring of 1928 (Showa 3), he met Usami Yukie (Yukibou) and lived with her in the fall.

・On June 22, 1929 (Showa 4), he attended the "Music and Literature Evening" event at Mount Akagi (he became close to Asahi Shimbun editor-in-chief Okina Kyuin)

・In May 1930 (Showa 5), ​​Yumeji released a statement entitled "Regarding the Construction of the Mount Haruna Art Institute." This advocated "industry by hand," and aimed to improve and popularize local folk crafts and handicrafts, elevating them to the level of commercial art. Just as he was about to make the plan a reality by building a mountain villa on the shores of Lake Haruna, he was approached about traveling abroad.

・In May 1931 (Showa 6), Yumeji left work he was about to carry out at Mount Haruna and traveled to America.

・Traveling abroad had been a long-held wish of Yumeji. His initial plan was to sell paintings in America and use the money he earned there to travel around Europe, but he broke off ties with writer and journalist Okina Hisamasa, who had proposed the idea to Yumeji and accompanied him on the trip. He barely sold any paintings, and the change in climate worsened Yumeji's health.

・Yumeji finally raised the funds and arrived in Europe in October 1932 (Showa 7). In Europe, he traveled to Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, etc.

・While staying in Perlin in 1933 (Showa 8), he held a Japanese painting seminar at the Itten Art School and also gave a lecture titled "Concepts of Japanese Painting," but he could not escape financial and physical hardships during his travels abroad.

・In September of the same year, after more than two years abroad, he returned to Kobe Port.

・In October of the same year, Yumeji went to Taiwan to earn money to make a living and held an exhibition. Meanwhile, his illness was eating away at his body. He returned to the mainland in November of the same year.

・Yumeji's friend Mochizuki Yuriko noticed that his lungs had deteriorated and that something was not right, so she contacted the doctor Masaki Fujoga, and in January 1934 (Showa 9), Yumeji was admitted to the Fujimi Kogen Sanatorium in Shinshu, which Masaki ran.

・Yumeji had been friends with Masaki for some time, and he was admitted to a special room in the hospital. His tuberculosis symptoms had progressed quite a bit, and he spent his days recuperating. In May of the same year, his right hand became disabled for a while due to herpes, and a virus invaded his nervous system, causing him to suffer from severe pain.

・At 5:40 a.m. on September 1st of the same year, Yumeji passed away at the age of 49 years and 11 months. Surrounded by the doctor, head nurse, and other nurses, he said "thank you" and passed away peacefully.

・Four days later, his funeral was held at Shinpoji Temple in Kojimachi, Tokyo, and in October, his burial took place at Zoshigaya Cemetery in Tokyo. The words "Burial of Takehisa Yumeji" are inscribed on his gravestone, written by his friend Arishima Ikuma.
 

<Note 1> Record of Yumeji's overseas travels

[1931 (Showa 6)]

・Okina Kyuin proposes a trip to America and Europe. ・3-5 consecutive meetings held to raise funds for overseas travel. ・Creates "Tatsutahime" and "Harunayamafu."

・5.7 Departs Yokohama (Chichibu Maru). ・5.15 Arrives in Honolulu, Oahu. ・5.23 Solo exhibition at "Taishoji Temple" in Hilo, Hawaii.

・6.3 Arrives in San Francisco. ・8.7 Separates from Okina Hisanori.

[1932 (Showa 7)]

・2.29 Solo exhibition at UCLA ・3/18 Solo exhibition at Olympic Hotel ・7-8 Los Angeles Olympics 9/9 Created "Blue Mountains and Rivers" (presented to Sakai Yoneo)

・9/10 Departed San Pedro Port (cargo-passenger ship Tacoma) ・10/10 Arrived in Hamburg ・10/18 Berlin (Germany)

・10/24 Prague (Czech Republic) ・10/29 Vienna (Austria) ・11/3 Innsbruck (same) ・11/7 Paris (France)

・11/20 Lyon (France) ・11/25 Geneva (Switzerland) ・12/6 Zurich (Switzerland)

・12/8 Salzburg (Austria) ・12/9 Vienna (Austria)

[1933 (Showa 8)]

・1/10 Berlin (Germany) ・1/30 Nazi Party gains strength, Hitler appointed chancellor

・Started Japanese painting classes at "Ittenschule" in February ・Around February 20th, received 500 yen from Hoshijima Gihei

・2.24 Covered withdrawal from the League of Nations ・6.26 Resigned from Ittenschule ・6.27 Nazis attacked Ittenschule

・8.19 Departed Naples (Yasukuni Maru) ・9.18 Arrived at Kobe Port

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<Note 2> Record of Yumeji's visit to Taiwan

・Kawase Sohoku suggested a trip to Taiwan ・10.23 Departed Kobe Port (Yamato Maru)

・10.26 Arrived at Keelung Port ・10.26 Met with Fujishima Takeji at Taipei Railway Hotel ・Visit cafe "Bijinza"

・11.1 Opening ceremony of the Taiwan branch of the Oriental Culture Association ("Hojo" Lai Pavilion (Dadaocheng) ・11.3-5 "Exhibition of Works by Takehisa Yumeji in Europe" at Police Hall

・11.3 Lecture "Thoughts on Women from East and West" (Taiwan Medical College Auditorium) ・? Missed the return ship (Fuso Maru) due to car trouble

・11.14 Essay "Impressions of Taiwan" published in Taiwan Nichinichi Shinpo

・11.? Departed Keelung (?) ・11.17 Arrived at Kobe Port

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​*This description is based on "The Life of Yumeji" (by Ishikawa Keiko, Shunyodo Shoten).