Born in 1911 in Tokyo as the first son of the hanga artist and painter Hiroshi Yoshida,Toshi Yoshida was raised in a milieu of artists in Japan's
traditional art of wood-block prints,including both parents and his grandparents.From as early as the age of three Toshi is said to have shown signs of exceptional
talent in this art form.Even his father,a well-known creator of hanga in his own right,reportedly marveled at his son's outstanding design creativity.
Maturing rapidly after attending the School of the Pacific Arts Association,Toshi began making pverseas trips to seek new subject material,completing sketching tours to India,Burma,
and Ceylon by the age of 20.Thereafter he continuedhis voyages,traveling widely through the Americas,Europe,Asia,Africa,and Antarctica.During this time he gave countlesslectures
abroad and held innumerable overseas exhibitions of wood-block prints,and his own works were acquired for the permanent collections of the world's leading museums,such as the
New York Museum of Modern Art and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Toshi Yoshida's hanga have thereby gained recognition throughout the world as well as in Japan,and his studio has been continually open to aspiring artists from all countries.
Recently Yoshida has turned to the production of hanga featuring animals and nature as motifs.Among his latest prints,some are the largest in the world.
He died in July 1995.
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