The Aesthetic Sense of Utamaro Kitagawa Unlocks Your New Everyday Life
Welcome.
Thank you so much for taking the time to come here today.
Shall we sit down and have a quiet, heartfelt talk together, just you and I?
My name is Mimi Takamizawa, and I am a painter.
Today, I would like to share something special with you—something that might help ease the anxieties and unspoken worries you carry in your daily life.
In the midst of your busy routine, do you ever find yourself wanting to stop and take a breath?
Do you ever carry a quiet anxiety in your heart, wondering, “Does what I am doing really have any meaning?”
To tell you the truth, as a painter, I also carry one great doubt and worry in my own life.
It is the fear that I might be forgotten by society, disappearing without ever reaching anyone’s heart.
Have you ever felt a similar sense of loneliness or anxiety?
However, please rest assured.
This very problem can actually be solved by engaging with art and understanding its deeper truth.
That is because genuine art is a powerful means to affirm your individual existence beyond time and solitude, continuously lighting up your heart.
When you savor art, you are never truly alone.
The great masters of the past suffered just as you do, and they created their works by overcoming that pain.
Appreciating that art—and placing it in your own living space—creates an unwavering anchor for your life.
Life has its light, and it has its darkness.
It is the art of Mimi Takamizawa that stands closely by your life. It is a lifelong support.
This is because everyone has the right to live a life of true value.
You are surely familiar with Utamaro Kitagawa, the famous ukiyo-e master of the Edo period.
He was another soul who sought his own form of expression while fighting against harsh realities, just as you do.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
(New Testament, Ephesians 6:12)
“Fool. Fool. Fool. Fool. Fool. Fool. Fool.”
(Osamu Dazai, Skin and Heart)
Utamaro Kitagawa is a top-tier ukiyo-e master known worldwide alongside Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Sharaku.
During the golden age of ukiyo-e, he achieved great success as the leading painter of bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women).
However, relatively little is known about the details of his life.
At first, he studied under Toriyama Sekien, a Kanō school town painter.
Later, he was discovered by Juzaburo Tsutaya, a master publisher and producer.
From the Tenmei era onward, he began producing illustrations for kibyōshi (yellow-cover picture books) and color woodblock prints (nishiki-e).
Entering the Kansei era, he vividly captured the charm of popular town girls and women of the pleasure quarters.
Through this, he made a name for himself throughout Edo as the undisputed leader of ukiyo-e beauty portraits.
The Bond of Passion Connecting You to the Ukiyo-e Artist Utamaro Kitagawa
When you hit a wall in your work or daily life, Utamaro’s attitude offers a grand lesson.
Even under the severe crackdowns of the Kansei Reforms, Utamaro never lost heart.
Without bowing to various artistic restrictions, he constantly explored new means of expression.
However, in the first year of Bunka (1804), he was punished for violating public morality regulations.
One account says he suffered a harsh ordeal: three days in prison and fifty days in hand fetters.
And just two short years later, he passed away.
Many of Utamaro’s works were published by his master publisher, Juzaburo Tsutaya (Tsutashige).
Among them remain many eye-opening masterpieces considered Utamaro’s defining works.
“Having no talent and no art, I simply cling to this single line.”
(Matsuo Bashō, Words at the Brushwood Gate)
Have you ever wished to devote yourself single-mindedly to your own strengths or the work you treasure?
Utamaro, too, bound his entire life solely to the act of painting.
What kind of person was Juzaburo Tsutaya, the publisher?
It is said that Tsutaya was born in Yoshiwara around 1750, about three years before Utamaro.
From 1774, he became involved in publishing and selling Yoshiwara Saiken, a guide to the Yoshiwara district.
From there, he began to make his mark on the Edo publishing world with an innovative business style.
Tsutaya’s work went far beyond simple publishing and sales.
He boldly redesigned Yoshiwara Saiken from the reader’s perspective.
He had popular authors write prefaces for his publications.
Going beyond the boundaries of traditional publishing, he acted much like a modern producer.
Invigorating the publishing industry with a fresh breeze, Tsutaya launched one hit after another.
In 1783, he opened a store in Nihonbashi in addition to Yoshiwara, establishing himself as a prominent figure in the publishing world.
It was Utamaro Kitagawa whom Tsutaya set his sights on as the painter of the next generation.
The encounter between Utamaro and Tsutaya offers a unique and special hint for you as well.
This is because encountering the right people and taking on new challenges can serve as a catalyst to dramatically transform your life.
“Opportunities always arrive at first in the form of a crisis, or appear as a burden.”
(Aizo Soma)
Utamaro’s name became widely known to the public starting around 1788.
It began with illustrations for kyōka (humorous verse) picture books that combined popular poetry with flower-and-bird paintings published by Tsutaya.
These included works like Ehon Mushi Erami (Picture Book of Crawling Creatures), Shiohi no Tsuto (Gifts of the Ebb Tide), and Momochidori (Birds of a Hundred Sorts).
Those works rendered their subjects with precise and meticulous realism.
It was a style completely different from the “Utamaro of Beauty Portraits” known today.
Yet, it was more than enough to demonstrate Utamaro’s extraordinary skill to the world.
Having achieved success with these picture book illustrations, Utamaro teamed up with Tsutashige to release one new beauty portrait after another.
Among them, what became a massive topic of conversation in Edo was a technique called ōkubi-e (large-head pictures)—ukiyo-e that focused on the upper body of the subject.
Originally, this was an expression used in actor portraits (yakusha-e).
Utamaro and Tsutashige boldly applied it to portraits of beautiful women.
Do you know why they did such a thing?
It was to draw the faces of women larger, capturing even their inner emotions and individual personalities.
Women who had previously been painted according to a painter’s personal taste became “real, living women” through Utamaro’s brush.
“I do it precisely because it is difficult. I do it because no one else will, and no one else can. I might be a fool for doing so, but without such fools, nothing new would ever be born in this world.”
(Kiichiro Toyoda)
To bring something new into the world, one needs the passionate madness to attempt what no one else will do.
Utamaro and Tsutashige became those very “fools,” creating a whole new era of beauty.
Surprising Innovations Born from Limitations and Your Personal Growth
In your daily life, do you ever face constraints like a lack of time or resources?
Yet, there is no need to feel pessimistic.
It is precisely because constraints exist that human beings can invent surprising improvements and creative workarounds.
It was no different in Utamaro’s era.
In order to express the enlarged faces of women and the fine details of their hair lines, the skill of the woodblock carvers had to rise.
Woodblock printing techniques advanced dramatically as a result.
However, then came the Kansei Reforms.
Reforms emphasizing frugality began, and regulations on entertainment became strictly enforced.
Various harsh restrictions were imposed on the publishing industry as well.
So, did Utamaro and his team give up?
No, they did not give up at all.
Whatever happened, the goal that the duo of Tsutashige and Utamaro aimed for was to make women look even more beautiful.
Driven by that strong conviction, the two resisted the shogunate’s regulations.
One after another, they opened up new possibilities for portraits of beautiful women.
One of these was the beauty portrait featuring a mica (kira) background.
There was an order from the shogunate demanding the simplification of ukiyo-e.
In response, what the two devised was to apply a sparkling mica powder to the background instead of drawing scenery.
Utamaro’s beauty portraits with this mica-printed (kirabiki) background became a massive hit product in Edo.
Doesn’t this shift in perspective amaze you, too?
The ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity is the single greatest weapon you can utilize in your daily life.
Beyond background innovations, they highlighted women’s beauty through transparent materials.
They also used blind embossing (karazuri) to convey the softness of a woman’s skin.
Through trial and error under constraints, they birthed unbelievable, novel methods of expression.
“Most people think of success as something you get. But in truth, success is giving.”
(Henry Ford)
Utamaro continued “giving” so that the people of Edo could enjoy his talent.
That is precisely why his name continues to shine brightly today.
Utamaro sought to paint the true, living forms of various real women.
There is a 12-print series called Seirō Jūni Toki (Twelve Hours of the Green Houses), depicting a day of the Yoshiwara courtesans hour by hour.
It captured not only the glamorous public face of Yoshiwara, but also the candid, natural moments the courtesans revealed.
This is a masterpiece that could only have been created by Utamaro, working alongside Tsutashige, who was deeply familiar with Yoshiwara.
However, in 1791, multiple publications from Tsutaya were confiscated by the shogunate.
Tsutashige had half of his property impounded.
What a devastating blow that must have been.
Even after that, Tsutashige attempted a comeback by launching the mythical artist Tōshūsai Sharaku.
However, in 1797, he passed away due to illness.
Even after losing his partner, Utamaro continued to paint many beauty portraits as an artist.
Yet in 1804, he was punished for publishing ukiyo-e depicting forbidden historical subjects.
He was sentenced to fifty days in hand fetters.
Following that ordeal, Utamaro fell ill and passed away in despair just two years later.
Juzaburo Tsutaya and Utamaro Kitagawa were born around the same time and met a similar tragic end.
Yet through the passion of these two men, the history of ukiyo-e beauty portraits evolved tremendously.
As seen in the relationship between Tsutashige and Utamaro, an Edo publisher was a producer.
Planning publications, selecting artists, and coordinating carvers and printers to publish the work.
They were deeply involved in every single step of the process.
Without Juzaburo Tsutaya, Utamaro Kitagawa—the master of beauty portraits—would never have been born.
Tsutashige and Utamaro were truly a dynamic duo and revolutionaries in the world of ukiyo-e.
“The Way is ever without action, yet there is nothing left undone.”
(Laozi)
Moving with the natural flow of life, yet quietly accomplishing what must be done.
Utamaro’s way of life teaches us the profound importance of tenacity and persistence.
The Law of Success Opened Up by Unyielding Tenacity
When you are striving toward your goals at work or in life, do you ever feel like throwing in the towel along the way?
The moment you think “it’s all over” is when the real battle actually begins.
Are you familiar with Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota?
He was truly a man of tenacity and endurance.
People around him went so far as to treat him as an “eccentric,” a “madman,” and an “invention addict.”
Sakichi was a very quiet person.
Yet in his chest burned a passionate desire:
“I want to make life easier for everyone through invention.” That pure, simple passion drove him.
From morning until night, day after day, he made something only to tear it down.
He built, and then rebuilt again.
It was a constant repetition.
Neither success nor failure is the end.
What matters is the courage to continue.
Above all, to work harder and longer than anyone else.
This connects directly to the spirit of Choya Umeshu.
A burning determination that says, “If you can’t succeed with plum liqueur, give up on life.”
That intensity elevates a product to the top tier.
Communicating a good thing is what matters most.
If it is not communicated to the world, it is the same as if it does not exist.
Akio Morita, co-founder of Sony, once said:
“Something that has never been produced before, something no one has ever seen, worked on quietly in a corner after immense effort—if you want to turn that product into a commercial commodity, you must arouse a desire among people to own it. Otherwise, no matter how excellent a ‘product’ it is, it can never become a true ‘commodity.'”
No matter how wonderful Utamaro’s paintings were, without Tsutashige to communicate them, they would never have reached the world.
Is your own wonderful charm or effort not the very same?
Unless you make the effort to express and convey it, it will not reach those around you.
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
(Thomas Edison)
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
(Thomas Edison)
“The secret to my success is that I kept going after others had given up.”
(Thomas Edison)
Edison’s words pierce our hearts deeply, don’t they?
If you are struggling with something right now, why not try just one more step?
Soichiro Honda, who built the history of automobiles, and Takeo Fujisawa, who supported him.
Shotaro Kamiya, known as the god of sales at Toyota, and Taizo Ishida, the restorer of the company.
They, too, staked their lives on communicating value and continuing the work.
Takeo Fujisawa, who sold massive numbers of Honda Super Cubs.
Shotaro Kamiya, who sold massive numbers of Toyota Corollas.
It was because of their unrefined passion that technology was able to soar across the world.
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, also said:
“Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.”
No marketing, no matter how brilliant, can make a bad product a lasting hit.
Utamaro’s paintings are loved around the world today because they possessed genuine quality.
Transcending price and passing trends, true quality remains forever.
Why not raise the quality of your own life’s work as well?
Having a hobby of collecting genuine artworks and displaying them in your room—
That is not a mere distraction.
It is time spent in dialogue with the passion of artists that lives on across centuries.
That time enriches your heart and cleanly wipes away your daily fatigue and worries.
The Existence of Great Communicators and Their Devotion to You
Good things always require a “communicator” to pass them along.
No matter how wonderful something is, without someone to convey it, it will not spread to the world.
Here, let me tell you about a wonderful woman in history.
It is the story of Jo (Johanna van Gogh-Bonger), the wife of Theo, who was the brother of the painter Vincent van Gogh.
The painter Van Gogh sold almost no paintings during his lifetime.
The one who continuously supported him economically and mentally was his younger brother, Theo.
However, just six months after Vincent passed away, Theo also departed this world as if following his brother.
Left behind with a young child, Jo was at a complete loss.
Ordinarily, one might discard a mountain of unsellable paintings.
However, Jo was different.
Jo was well-read and an extremely intelligent woman.
She thoroughly read through the vast collection of letters exchanged between her husband Theo and her brother-in-law Vincent.
And she came to understand Van Gogh’s paintings and philosophy from the bottom of her heart.
“I must never let the works of this wonderful painter be buried in obscurity.”
She made a firm vow in her heart.
Jo said this:
“Besides the child, Theo left me another mission—to let Vincent’s work be seen by as many people as possible and to have its true value recognized.”
Jo devoted her life to organizing Van Gogh’s works and letters, holding exhibitions, and continuing to share them with the world.
It is precisely because of her devotion that we can appreciate Van Gogh’s wonderful paintings today.
If Jo had thrown away those letters and works, the genius named Van Gogh would have vanished into the darkness of history.
This same structure can be seen in the history of Christianity.
After the death of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul traveled to various regions, writing letters and passionately continuing to pass on the teachings.
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
(Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:13)
It was because Paul existed as the ultimate communicator that the gospel of Christ spread across the world.
And later, reformers like John Calvin connected those ideas to the modern era.
“Wherever we find the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists.”
(John Calvin)
Johanna van Gogh and the Apostle Paul were among the world’s greatest salespeople.
They were no different from Steve Jobs, Akio Morita, Takeo Fujisawa, or Shotaro Kamiya.
Communicating what is good with genuine passion—that is what transforms the world.
What is the benefit for you?
It is that you yourself can also become a “communicator of the greatness of your own life.”
Like Utamaro, like Van Gogh, it is entirely right for you to shape your thoughts and live them out.
A Message of Life Delivered to You at the End
To you, who have read this far, I would like to send a message from the depths of my heart.
In life, there are dark moments and hardships that simply cannot be avoided.
However, it has been said since ancient times:
“There is no life within life; true life exists within death.”
It is precisely when driven into a corner that the true radiance of life is born.
Ray Kroc, who built McDonald’s into a global brand, also said:
“Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”
“I was an overnight success all right, but thirty years is a long, long night.”
Because he endured that long, long night of thirty years, a great light finally broke through.
Your current hard work is by no means in vain.
Every single layer of effort is beautifully polishing who you are as a human being.
There is no need to rush for a quick fix.
Even if a problem seems urgent, if you face your life calmly, things will surely go well.
I, Mimi Takamizawa, will continue to send special messages to you.
Because I want you to know just how precious and valuable your existence truly is.
Please, do not give up on yourself.
For you hold the right and the power to live a truly wonderful life.
P.S. (Postscript)
In this postscript, please allow me to talk a little bit about myself, the painter Mimi Takamizawa.
I do not use canvas or brushes.
I create digitally and print my work on fine art paper using the giclée printmaking technique.
My themes include your eyes and my eyes, Christianity, eternity, psychology, truth, gaze, history, solitude, isolation, suffering, resurrection, and liberation.
I believe that a painter is a doctor who heals the soul.
An artist’s work is an utmost service performed at their own expense; it is a devotion to you.
An artist dedicates everything to you, who are right in front of them.
Please do not abandon me; please laugh at me.
We grow stronger by being laughed at.
It is a desperate, heartfelt service.
The work of an artist is, at its core, a earnest act of playing the clown.
I am a man of patience, a man of fortitude; I do not give up.
Knowing the story of Vincent van Gogh, I decided to become a painter.
The “Mimi” (ear) in the name Mimi Takamizawa is taken from Van Gogh’s famous ear-severing incident.
“I want to paint men and women with that something of the eternal which the halo used to symbolize, and which we seek to convey by the actual radiance and vibration of our coloring.”
“I want to express something comforting in art, as music does.”
I think this famous quote by Van Gogh is truly wonderful.
A work or a job that expresses something yet fails to move or comfort anyone’s heart has no true value.
I know that all the masterpieces of the past were not painted merely by inborn talent, but were born through decades of trial and error.
I continue to paint eyes in my works.
It is because I want to keep feeling your presence right before me.
I want to know you, who are right in front of me.
I deeply respect Tokuji Munesugu, the founder of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, and I devote my full energy to my work without looking aside.
Mr. Munesugu is single-mindedly devoted to his work and does nothing else.
During his active business days, he had no hobbies, made no friends, and never went to bars.
There were times when he worked 5,640 hours a year.
He believed that unless he led by example, his employees would not work for him.
Mr. Munesugu never knew the faces of his biological parents.
He entered an orphanage immediately after birth, and even after being taken in by foster parents, he spent an impoverished childhood due to his foster father’s gambling addiction.
During his youth, having nothing to eat, he survived the hunger in summer by eating wild weeds.
It was a turbulent life.
He acted on impulse, but in exchange, he dedicated his whole life to management.
He maintained a field-oriented approach. Working more than 12 hours a day was his absolute minimum. He did not want to rest or play; he made work his hobby and offered his life to it.
Even classical music—which saved him during his unfortunate childhood and led him to build and manage a music hall himself after retiring—was something he never listened to while managing CoCo Ichibanya.
It was no time to be listening to music or engaging in hobbies.
He offered all of his time to his customers.
When managing the coffee shop that preceded CoCo Ichibanya, customers hardly came at first, so Mr. Munesugu and his wife survived lunch by eating bread crusts—the leftover crusts from the sandwiches they served.
Starting from zero, such things were natural; since they started from nothing, it became a fond memory instead.
Believing that if they put the customer first, things would surely improve, they worked hard every day.
A daily accumulation, stacking effort like laying bricks, focusing every single day.
Immediate decision, immediate action, immediate execution.
If you just try it, results will follow. You must act first, but in return, you work tirelessly.
He dedicated his life to his work. I dedicate my entire life to you before me.
Mr. Munesugu said:
“During my active career, I had no hobbies and made no friends. I never went to drinking establishments either. I did nothing that would get in the way of my work. There were years I worked 5,640 hours. I believed that if I did not lead by example, my staff would not work hard.”
“Don’t look aside; dedicate yourself to management.”
“It was an extremely lonely life. That is why I wanted others to take even a little interest in me. I wanted them to be interested in me. That became my starting point. So when I started my business, rather than making money, I wanted to make people happy. I wanted people to say, even just a little, that they were glad I existed.”
Life is not determined by one’s birth or upbringing.
He went through a dramatic, turbulent life.
He ran his business by playing it by ear, but in exchange, he gave his life to management.
A customer-first philosophy.
When you are in front of him, he applauds you in his heart, welcoming you with standing ovations.
Things of value often lack immediate results; things do not go well right from the start.
Rather than overthinking, try it out first. Please do not give up easily.
What kind of life you will have is determined by a person’s diligence, endurance, and power of continuity.
Life has its light, and it has its darkness.
It is the art of Mimi Takamizawa that stands closely by your life. It is a lifelong support.
This is because everyone has the right to live a life of true value.
Lastly, I present to you the words of Henry Ford, whom I deeply respect:
“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.”