Fuku Akino

Fuku Akino (秋野 不矩, Akino Fuku, July 25, 1908 - October 11, 2001) was a Japanese painter. She was born in Futamata, Iwata-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (currently, Nimata Town, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City). She became known by her paintings of Indian themes, landscapes and peoples.

Akino got a degree in teaching from Shizuoka's Normal School (current Shizuoka University Faculty of Education) in 1926. She taught classes at an elementary school, but quit after a year. Akino then went to Kyoto to learn Japanese-style painting (Nihonga), under the guidance of Suisho Nishiyama.^[1]

In 1948, Akino left the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition and joined the Sozo Bijutsu (Creative Arts) group, together with Uemura Shoko and Fukuda Toyoshiro, seeking a renewal of Japanese art. The following year, she became an assistant professor at Kyoto City University of Arts.

When she was 53 years old, Akino was invited by India's Visva-Bharati University to be a visiting professor.^[2] Charmed by the country, she started to work on Indian themes. Akino visited India several times, painting the country's landscapes, buildings and peoples.^[3] Akino also visited Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia and Africa.

Akino died on 11 October 2001, in Kyoto, of a heart attack.^[1]

Akino was named a Person of Cultural Merit in 1991 and was awarded the Order of Culture in 1999.^[1][4] A museum housing her artworks was built in her hometown of Hamamatsu in 1998.^[5] The museum was designed by Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori.^[3][5]

• Fuku Akino page (in Japanese)