Born in Tochigi Prefecture in 1880 to a leaf tobacco farmer in Motegi Town, Kotato Gato graduated from Shimono Municipal Junior High School in 1897 and enrolled in the Japanese Painting Department of Tokyo Fine Arts School (now Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). After graduating, he moved to the US in 1906. While working in Chicago, he studied painting and worked on the interior decoration of Dr.Jokichi Takamine’s villa, “Shofu-den.” Later, he moved to New York and worked in the design department of Morimura Brothers (now Noritake Company), where he painted ceramics and painted at the same time.

He participated in the exhibitions of the Society of Independent Artists from 1919 to 1924, the Salons of America in 1922 and 1923, the exhibition of New York Japanese Art Association in 1917 and 1918, and the exhibition of the Gacho Kai in 1922. 

On his return to Japan in 1924, he purchased an assembled house from the U.S. and brought it to Japan, as he had heard that the Great Kanto Earthquake of the previous year had made it difficult to procure lumber.

The New York Shimpo (April 9, 1924) states, “He went to the U.S. with a letter to the late Jokichi Takamine, from the principal of the Masaki School of Fine Arts, and worked for Takamine’s villa decoration business before joining Morimura through his introduction.” (New York Shimpo, April 9, 1924), it is thought that Jokichi Takamine supported him in his career as an artist.

Reference: Sugimura, Hiroya, “About Kotato Gado,” Art Movement History Study Group News, No. 87 (2007); Yoshida, Chizuko, “Kotato Gado, Japanese in America,” Art Movement History Study Group News, No. 88 (2007); New York Shimpo;  Nichibei Jiho.

The subject of this entry was featured in one of our digital exhibits, “Japanese Artists During the Prewar Period in New York City- Artistic Trace from the 1910s to the 1940s –”.