Seiu Ito

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Lore & Background

Ito was born Hajime Ito in Asakusa district, Tokyo, and started his education in painting by 1890. His father was a metalworker and he also received training in ivory carving, later sculpture. He adopted the alias Seiu at age 13. Around 1907, he began working for newspapers. In 1919, Ito hired a young art school model named Kise Sahara. Kise became Ito's second wife after she got pregnant and posed willingly for her husband. Ito became the target of censors in 1930, which led to draining of his fortunes and he lost his works at the Great Tokyo Air Raid. In 1960, he was awarded by the Japan Artists Association. He died in Truro, England.

Reader's Guide

As an artist, Ito was very interested in kabuki and other ways of the Edo period and his book *An History of Edo and Tokyo Manners* was published after the Kanto earthquake. His technique for depiction of Edo period tortures was to bind his model in various ways, have the photographs taken, and use them as inspiration for his paintings. A notorious exploit of such kind was binding his pregnant wife Kise and having her suspended upside down for a drawing imitating the ukiyo-e *The Lonely House on Adachi Moor in Michinoku Province* by Yoshitoshi.

Did You Know?

• Ito was born Hajime Ito in Asakusa district, Tokyo, and adopted the alias Seiu at age 13.
• His father was a metalworker, and Ito also received training in ivory carving and later sculpture.
• In 1919, he hired art school model Kise Sahara, who became his second wife after she got pregnant.
• Ito bound his pregnant wife Kise and suspended her upside down for a drawing imitating Yoshitoshi's ukiyo-e *The Lonely House on Adachi Moor in Michinoku Province*.
• He died in Truro, England.