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Toshi Maruki

まるき とし

Maruki Toshi

Aliases: 赤松俊子 / 丸木俊子
Pen Names: Akamatsu Toshiko（Worked under her birth name Akamatsu Toshiko until around 1956）, Maruki Toshiko（Used for a period (circa 1957–1964) as the female painter's name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1912-02-11 （Senseiji, Chippubetsu, Uryū District, Hokkaido, Japan）
Died
2000-01-13 （Moroyama, Saitama, Japan (hospital)） age 87
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Hokkaido (birthplace) → Matsudo, Chiba (attempted museum site) → Nagasaki, Toshima, Tokyo (atelier community) → Higashimatsuyama, Saitama (after opening the Maruki Museum) → Ichikawa (boarding while substitute teacher)

Career

Occupations
Painter (Western-style), Picture-book illustrator, Book illustrator, Elementary school teacher
Active Years
1933-2000
Influenced
Chihiro Iwasaki

Education

Joshibi School of Art and Design (now Joshibi University of Art and Design)
Teacher training division, Western painting / Western-style painting
Year of Graduation: 1933
Country: Japan
Graduated from the teacher-training Western painting division

Awards

International Peace Prize (World Peace Council)
1953
Work: The Hiroshima Panels (co-created with Iri Maruki)
Organization: World Peace Council
Result: 受賞
Golden Apple (Bratislava Biennial of Illustrations)
1971
Work: Japanese Legends (text by Miyoko Matsutani; illustrations by Iri & Toshi Maruki)
Organization: Bratislava Biennial of Illustrations
Result: 受賞
Sofia Special Prize (3rd Anti-Fascism Triennial, International Figurative Art Exhibition)
1979
Work: From the Tripartite Pact to Sanrizuka
Organization: Anti-Fascism Triennial (Sofia)
Result: 受賞
3rd Ehon Nippon Grand Prize
1980
Work: Hiroshima no Pika
Organization: Ehon Nippon (Japan picture-book award)
Result: 受賞
Mildred L. Batchelder Award (American Library Association)
1980
Work: Hiroshima no Pika
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 受賞
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
1980
Work: Hiroshima no Pika
Organization: Boston Globe / Horn Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Peace-related recognition)
1980
Work: Hiroshima no Pika
Organization: Jane Addams Children's Book Award Committee
Result: 受賞
32nd Shogakukan Children’s Publication Culture Award
1982
Work: Voices of the Minamata Sea
Organization: Shogakukan
Result: 受賞
Kodansha Cultural Award (Picture-book category)
1984
Work: Voices of Okinawa Island
Organization: Kodansha
Result: 受賞
30th Akai Tori Literary Prize (Special Prize)
2000
Organization: Akai Tori Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Hiroshima Panels (series)

1950 Western-style painting (mural/series)

A series of large-scale panels co-created with Iri Maruki depicting the devastation of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and the suffering of victims. The panels toured internationally and became a powerful anti-war, peace message.

Atomic bombingWar and peaceVictimhood and memoryHuman dignity
Adaptations
  • [Film (documentary)] The Hiroshima Panels (1953 film) / 今井正 / 青山通春 (1953)

Pikadon

1950 Picture book

A picture book published alongside the Hiroshima Panels project intended to convey the memory of the atomic bombing to younger audiences.

Atomic bombingMemoryAnti-war

Hiroshima no Pika

1980 Picture book

A picture book addressing bombing experiences and the effects of the atomic bomb. It received international recognition and was translated into around 15 languages.

Atomic bombingPeace educationPerspective of bomb-affected children

Bibliography

  • Anyone Can Draw (1949) — as Akamatsu Toshiko
  • Pikadon (1950)
  • Ghosts: The Hiroshima Panels World Pilgrimage (1972)
  • Birth of a Woman Painter (1977)
  • Hiroshima no Pika (1980)
  • Voices of the Minamata Sea (1983)
  • Voices of Okinawa Island (1984)
  • Too Much to Say (1987)

Adaptations

  • Film 'The Hiroshima Panels' (1953)
  • Film 'Minamata: The Images and Tales' (1981)
  • Film 'Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima' (1986; produced by Jean Junkermann & John W. Dower)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Expressionistic depictionDocumentary/epic large-scale worksRestrained narrative and symbolism in children's books
Recurring Motifs
Atomic bombing and victims' figuresMemory of warProtest against discrimination and pollutionSea, children, and folk tales

Health

  • Sepsis
    Died of sepsis on 2000-01-13 (aged 87)

Legacy

Toshi Maruki, co-creator (with Iri Maruki) of The Hiroshima Panels, was a painter and picture-book illustrator known for depicting the memory of war and victims. Through the Maruki Museum and numerous exhibitions and awards, she became a leading voice in anti-war and peace art internationally.

Museums

  • Maruki Gallery for The Hiroshima Panels (Maruki Museum) Higashimatsuyama, Saitama, Japan Opened in 1967

Archives

  • Maruki Gallery / Maruki Museum archives

In Popular Culture

  • Several film adaptations and documentaries (e.g. 'The Hiroshima Panels', 'Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima')

Trivia

  • Birth name was Akamatsu Toshi (later used Akamatsu Toshiko / Maruki Toshiko and finally Maruki Toshi).
  • 'Hiroshima no Pika' was translated and published in around 15 language regions.
  • The Hiroshima Panels were co-created with Iri Maruki and toured internationally.