| Itō Hikozō | |
| Native Name: | 伊藤 彦造 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Date: | February 17, 1904 |
| Birth Place: | Ōita, Ōita Prefecture, Empire of Japan |
| Nationality: | Japanese |
was a Japanese painter and illustrator.[1]
Itō Hikozō was born in 1904 in the city of Ōita. He is alleged to be a descendant of the famous medieval swordsman Itō Ittōsai.[1]
In his youth, while working for The Asahi Shimbun, Hikozō learned the art of creative illustration from Migita Toshihide. After contracting tuberculosis, Hikozō returned home to convalesce. He later also studied painting under the guidance of Hashimoto Kansetsu.
In 1932, using an incision on his wrist as a palette and his own blood as pigment, Itō Hikozō painted a dramatic portrait of Emperor Jinmu. It was titled .[1] [2]
It was dedicated with the following statement: .
The portrait was presented to Araki Sadao, acting Minister of the Army .[3]
Because he had produced artwork extolling legendary Imperial history and the warrior spirit, as well as hosting an, Itō was arrested by the American occupation authorities after the surrender of Japan and charged with political war crimes.[1] He was detained at Camp Zama. However, he was released after currying favor with the Americans by producing a number of Christian-themed paintings and eventually hosted Douglas MacArthur's family at his home.[4]
Suffering from senile infirmity, he died in 2004.