Inagaki, Toshijiro

Japanese, 1902–1943

BiographyInagaki Toshijirō (or Nenjirō) was a graduate of the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts. For almost nine years (1922-31), he was a designer of stencil patterns for fine kimonos at a Kyoto department store. Later he studied dyeing technology at local dye works. In 1948 Inagaki began to carve stencils and became a dye artist working on both cloth and paper. He held several positions at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts.
Inagaki’s works often feature nature scenes, festivals, castles, temples and shrines as well as local events and people. They are refined and elegant due to his use of a limited, subdued palette and simple designs. In 1962, Inagaki was designated as a Living National Treasure by the government of Japan for his kataezome, that is, artworks made using the traditional techniques of stencil dyeing called katazome.