Okada Saburōsuke

Okada Saburōsuke
Okada Saburōsuke (1906)
Native name	岡田三郎助
Born	(1869-01-12)12 January 1869 Saga Prefecture, Japan
Died	23 September 1939(1939-09-23) (aged 70) Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Education	Soyama Yukihiko, Horie Masaaki
Alma mater	Soyama Yukihiko's studio Taikokan studio Tenshin Dojo studio
Known for	Founder of Hongō Painting Institute, painter
Notable work	Portrait of a Lady 婦人像 Women in Red Japanese Bush Clover Portrait of Marquess Ookuma's Wife
Style	Yoga
Awards	Order of Culture, (1937) First prize of the Tokyo Industrial Exhibition for Image of a Woman (Purple tone). (1907)"

Okada Saburōsuke (Japanese: 岡田 三郎助; 12 January 1869, Saga – 23 September 1939, Tokyo) was a Japanese painter in the Yōga style and a Professor at the "Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō" (School of Fine Arts); precursor of the Tokyo University of the Arts.

His parents were vassals of the samurai Nabeshima clan. He attended a school that taught western-style painting, under the tutelage of Soyama Yukihiko (曽山幸彦, 1860–1892). In 1891, he became a member of the "Meiji Bijutsu-kai" (Fine Arts Society) and, after Soyama's premature death, worked with Horie Masaaki (堀江正章, 1852–1932), completing his studies in 1893.

That same year, he came under the influence of Kuroda Seiki and Kume Keiichiro, who had just returned from France. They introduced him the Barbizon school and the concept of plein-air painting. In 1896, he became an Assistant Professor of Yōga art at the Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō. He was also one of the founding members of "Hakuba-kai" (White Horse Society); a loosely organized artists' association, supposedly named after their favorite type of sake.

Later, the Ministry of Culture awarded him a stipend to study in France, where he worked with Raphaël Collin. When he returned in 1902, he was named a full Professor. Shortly after, he married the daughter of playwright Osanai Kaoru. After 1907, he served as a juror for the annual art exhibition held by the Ministry (the "Mombushō Tenrankai"). In 1912, he and Fujishima Takeji founded the "Hongo Institute for Western Painting". Seven years later, he was elected a member of the "Teikoku Bijutsu-in" (Imperial Academy of Fine Arts) and was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

In 1930, the Ministry of Culture sent him to Europe to speak with Hasegawa Kiyoshi and explore the possibility of staging an exhibition of modern Japanese art. Four years later, he was appointed an Imperial Household Artist.