繁岡 ケンイチ Kenichi Shigeoka Chronological record  
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 日本語
Ken-ichi Shigeoka   繁岡 金太 Kinta Shigeoka(father) 繁岡 ふく Fuku Shigeoka(mather)

Movie; Kinta at work
Meiji 28 (1895) Kenichi was born on 19 September in Asakusa, Tokyo.  He was the eldest of five sons
Taisho 9 (1920) In February, the Shingeki Association (Minshu-za Company) premiered The Blue Bird. Kenichi worked as a stage setting design assistant. Haibara, Japanese paper specialist commissioned him to produce mural and other work for them.
Taisho 11 (1922) In March, he graduated from the Japanese Painting Department of Tokyo School of Fine Arts (currently known as Tokyo University of the Arts).
In April, he joined the interior department of
Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture and design office at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. In Mayhe began studying under Koka Yamamura, a member of the Japan Art Institute.
Taisho 12 (1923) The building of Imperial Hotel completed andFrank Lloyd Wright's office closed.
In September he started a part time job at the Hotel, looking after the aesthetic matters in general including maintenance and interior refurbishment. It was around this time he met Baron Kishichiro Okura, and also started the stage setting design work.  He designed a wide range of stage settings in various theatrical stages in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hakata and others, working for both professional and amateur theatrical companies, until around 1950.
Taisho 14(1925)
 印度童話扉絵 繁岡ケンイチ 扉絵2
Frontispiece 1                                          Frontispiece 2
Indian Fairy Tales (published by Kinran-sha)         
Taisho 15(1926)
 
 磔茂左衛門Sketches
Haritsukeshigezaemon(published by Shincho-sha)
Showa 19 (1944)

He was dismissed from his positions for the WWII..

Showa 20 (1945)

As the war ended, he started working for the Kawana Hotel.  He was in charge of the aesthetics of the hotel which was requisitioned at the time and continued the job after its release.

In the meantime, he worked for the aesthetics of the Akakura Kanko Hotel, too.
Showa 23(1948) Yumedono Kenichi shigeoka

Excerpt from the 10 November Mainichi newspaper:

The Hall of Dreamsfor Queen Elizabeth.  Christmas Cards depicting points of interest in Japan

Christmas cards designed by a Japanese artist will be sent to prominent figures abroad such as Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill.  The sender is the Lieutenant General Robertson, and the artist who painted the pictures for the cards is Mr Kenichi Shigeoka, known for his stage setting design work.  Mr Shigeoka came up with more than one idea but opted for the design depicting various points of interests in Japan in watercolour.  He made these beautiful Christmas cards and presented them to L.G.Robertson on 6 November at Kawana Hotel where he was staying.   The one with the painting of Yumedono  (The Hall of Dreams)* is going to be sent to Queen Elizabeth II, who is due to have her first Christmas as a mother.

*Photo: Card with The Hall of Dreams painting

Showa 29 (1954) Tokyo dayori Kawana Hotel  Kenichi shigeoka
Tokyo Dayori (monthly magazine) July 54 issue. Cover illustration was painted at the request of Hitoshi Ashida, the magazines chief editor and his friend. 
Showa 37(1962)

In preparation of the construction of Hotel Okura, he was appointed as a member of the hotels Design Committee (Saburo Mizoguchi, Kenichi Shigeoka, Tsutomu Hiroi, Kiyomichi Iwata, Jiro Agata) and his  idea was used for the interior, furniture and equipment.  Following that, he stayed in charge of the hotels aesthetics including interior design. 

He also kept the position of aesthetics advisor at Kawana Hotel, Akakura Kanko Hotel and Hotel Okura Niigata for the rest of his life.
Showa 48(1973) While keeping these advisory work, he also took the position of the Chief Curator the Okura Museum of Art, and wrote the Kansho (appreciation) column which introduced the work of art owned by Okura Cultural Foundation in Aoi (hollyhock) ,Hotel Okuras quarterly magazine.
Showa 63(1988) He died on 13 October
Sketch collection
上高地帝国ホテル
Photo: Sketching at Imperial Hotel Kamikochi.
繁岡ケンイチ 画室から見た景色
View from his studio (Kamiosaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo)
繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ  繁岡ケンイチ やごはらスケッチ
繁岡ケンイチ デザイン龍 繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ
繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ 繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ
繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ 繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ
繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ 繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ
繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ 繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ
繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ 繁岡ケンイチ スケッチ
Imperial Hotel and Frank Lloyd Wright Sketching tour for the Fifty-three Stages of Tokaido Mural for the Imperial Hotel Kawana Hotel-Photos
Kawana Hotel silver decorative plates depicting Fuji golf course Kawana Hotel silver decorative plates depicting Oshima golf course Hotel Okura
Akakura Kanko Hotel Hotel Okura Niigata Okura Museum of Art
Stage Setting design work

Tokyo School of Fine Arts
(Tokyo University of the Arts)

Kawana Hotel
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