Itō Shinsui

Shinsui Itō
Shins Itō in 1958
Born	Itō Shinsui 4 February 1898 Tokyo, Japan
Died	8 May 1972 Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Known for	Painter, Woodcut artist
Movement	Nihonga, Shin hanga
Awards	Living National Treasure Order of the Rising Sun

Shinsui Itō (Japanese: 伊東 深水, translit. Itō Shinsui; 4 February 1898 – 8 May 1972), was the pseudonym of a Nihonga painter and ukiyo-e woodblock print artist in Taishō- and Shōwa-period Japan. He was one of the great names of the shin-hanga art movement, which revitalized the traditional art after it began to decline with the advent of photography in the early 20th century. His real name was Hajime Itō (Japanese: 伊東 一).

Itō was born in the Fukagawa district of Tokyo. After unwise investments bankrupted his father's business, he was forced to drop out of elementary school in the third grade, and became a live-in apprentice at a printing shop. It was in this manner that he became interested in printing techniques, and also in the arts.

In 1911, Itō was accepted as an apprentice under Kaburagi Kiyokata, (who gave him the pseudonym of "Shinsui") and issued his first woodblock print the following year. His talent was soon apparent, and from the following year, his paintings were entered in public exhibitions.

In 1912, his works were first shown by the Tatsumi gakai ("Southeast Painting Society") and later works were displayed by the Kyodokai ("Homeland Society"), the Nihon bijutsuin (Japan Art Institute), and in the government sponsored Bunten show. His works were received with much praise by art critics, and his reputation was soon made. His early works won numerous awards, and he accepted a post at the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun to supply illustrations for newspapers.