Taiwan History 1920 ~ : Remarkable Eighty-Year Journey of a Missing Painting
"East Taiwan Seaside Road 東台灣臨海道路"
Chen Cheng-po 1930
Collection of Hofu City
Sources:
財團法人陳澄波文化基金會 Chen Cheng-po Cultural Foundation http://chenchengpo.dcam.wzu.edu.tw/~chenchengpo/
簡肇成 （水瓶子）Founder of 青田七六 Qingtian 76
http://trip.writers.idv.tw/
https://www.qingtian76.tw/cht/index.php
Key Persons:
陳澄波 Tan Ting-pho (Chén Chéngbō 1895 – 1947)
上山滿之進（Mitsunoshin Kamiyama, 1869-1938)
11th Governor-General of Taiwan (1926–1928).
Founder of Taihoku (Taipei) Imperial University (TIU) , predecessor of National Taiwan University (NTU) 1928.
兒玉識 Professor Shiki Kodama
陳立栢 Chen Li-bo ( Chen Cheng-po grandson)
Managing Director of CCP Cultural Foundation.
防府市圖書館 Hofu City Library
"East Taiwan
Seaside Road" by Chen Cheng-po, a master of Taiwanese modernism art, was
found in Hofu City Library in August 2015.
The painting was donated to Hofu city in 1941 by the family of Kamiyama
Mitsunoshin, a politician from Hofu.
三哲文庫 Santetsu Bunko
三哲 literal is three philosopher/scholar. And they are 吉田松陰、品川彌二郎、乃木希典. All Yamaguchi residents.
MITSUNOSHIN KAMIYAMA, the 11th Governor of Taiwan (1926-1928) during Japanese occupation period and founder of TIU was a reputed politician and educator who cared and took great length to understand about Taiwan's indigenous peoples. During his term, he paid several visits to indigenous villages and adopted ruling methods by respecting the language, belief, and custom.
三哲文庫 Santetsu Bunko
三哲 literal is three philosopher/scholar. And they are 吉田松陰、品川彌二郎、乃木希典. All Yamaguchi residents.
MITSUNOSHIN KAMIYAMA, the 11th Governor of Taiwan (1926-1928) during Japanese occupation period and founder of TIU was a reputed politician and educator who cared and took great length to understand about Taiwan's indigenous peoples. During his term, he paid several visits to indigenous villages and adopted ruling methods by respecting the language, belief, and custom.
In colonial tradition at term ends, Governors received payout presented by all Japanese officials in Taiwan in commemoration of their service and contribution. Kamiyama received 13000 yen. It was at this time, Chen Chengpo was contacted and entrusted to depict East Taiwan in Kamiyama's fondest memory of Taiwan's landscape and peoples, to cherish back home in Japan.
上山 忠男 記MY RELATIVE MITSUNOSHIN KAMIYAMA made a good use of
the fund donated to him when he quitted his post of the
Governor of Taiwan:
he asked Chen Cheng-po to draw a picture
to memorize his stay in Taiwan.
He so much cherished Taiwan and he
placed the picture in the guest room of his house in Tokyo.
the fund donated to him when he quitted his post of the
Governor of Taiwan:
he asked Chen Cheng-po to draw a picture
to memorize his stay in Taiwan.
He so much cherished Taiwan and he
placed the picture in the guest room of his house in Tokyo.
After that, he decided to donate all his possession
(including his house) for the construction of a library
that would help young people in his hometown Hofu.
The name of the library changed after the war,
but it still is his keepsake.
When the Santetsu Bunko Library was at last built (after his death),
the picture was also donated to the library.
Why this drawing should be moved to a place
that has nothing to do with Kamiyama?
The painting is a global masterpiece
that has been secured in this library,
so-to-speak the second self of Kamiyama.
Hence, I sincerely hope that this drawing
be returned to Hofu,
the city Kamiyama had love for his lifetime,
and that its citizens be proud of
their precious cultural heritage.
Further, allow me to express my humble expectation
that Hofu and Taiwan
(especially the Master Artist Chen’s hometown Chiayi)
will develop exchanging goodwills；
Kamiyama in heaven would be most pleased by this,
who had always wished to establish
friendship with Taiwanese people.
Tadao Kamiyama (http://ankei.jp/yuji/?n=2167)
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| 三哲文庫 Santetsu Bunko |
TAIWAN-JAPAN, CHEN-KAMIYAMA, HOFU-CHIAYI RECONNECTED AFTER 85 YEARS."East Taiwan Seaside Road" by Chen Cheng-po, a master of Taiwanese modernism art, was found in Hofu City Library in August 2015. The painting was donated to Hofu city in 1941 by the family of Kamiyama Mitsunoshin, a politician from Hofu.
In 2015 Chen Libo (Chen CP’s grandson) received a letter
from Professor Kodama which unfolds the astonishing journey of ‘East Taiwan’
painting. One of the only two ‘indigenous theme’ painting discovered to date among Chen CP’s pieces.
Kamiyama being a prominent Hofu City former resident was on Kodama’s must-check list when
he was appointed to write about Hofu history by City Library. It was then among
Kamiyama donated items he discovered ‘East Taiwan’ painting and quickly
prompted to contact Chen’s foundation in Chiayi to investigate connections
behind this much cherished and yet forgotten souvenir from Taiwan.
Chen Libo, upon receiving the letter and astonished by this discovery, initiated an investigation at Chiayi end, first by comparing photos and browsing 臺灣日日新報 Taiwan Ri Ri Xin Bao /Everyday Daily News Paper (1896 ~ 1944) archive. Followed by a trip to Hofu city library to witness and endorse the work. He saw in his own eyes, paint barely peeled-off and the the frame made at the time was well preserved.
There is no source confirming the date of the wood frame, but from Santetsu Bunko photos and the painting was donated by Kamiyama family in 1941, the frame likely was made when the painting was finished in Hualien 1930. Considering its age, the frame was remarkably 'new' and well preserved.
The totem of the frame was confirmed Lanyu/Orchid Island Yami's and the wood was from a traditional Yami boat base.
A LOVELY ENCOUNTER when 82-year-old Kodama went abroad
for the first time and visited Taiwan with his wife in 2015 shortly after the
initial contact. While driving through Suhua Highway 蘇花公路 exploring the area in aim of
finding the exact location of the cliff in the painting and stopping at Chongdeying gas station 崇德盈加油站 to refuel , they
bumped into an indigenous older woman who led them down the seaside road and
THERE they found THE cliff!
A PAINTING REBORN AND PRESERVED! In a recent FB post, Chen Libo shared the news that this Cliff has made it to a Japanese Mafia movie 2019 filmed entirely in Taiwan!
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