While Kawaii as a modern concept didn’t begin until the 1970s, the roots of Kawaii can be traced back to the Taisho period (1912-1926), starting with artist, poet, and illustrator, Yumeji Takehisa, (竹久夢二 TAKEHISA Yumeji). Considered to be the godfather of kawaii, Takehisa was a leading figure of the Japanese Taisho Romanticism art movement, which combined current western art styles, such as Art Nouveau and Jugendstil, with Japanese artistic traditions. He is best known for his unique lyrical style featuring young women with thin bodies, big eyes, and melancholy expressions referred to as Yumeji Bijin-ga.
In addition to his paintings featuring young women, Yumeji Takehisa was also an innovative early graphic designer. Influenced by contemporary European trends, his novel use of western motifs such as umbrellas, match sticks, and poisonous red-capped mushrooms rather than traditional Japanese patters was quite innovative during his time and had a huge influence on other Japanese graphic designers who imitated and were inspired by this style.
Within the world of kawaii, Takehisa is best known as being the first kawaii goods proprietor with the opening of his shop, Minatoya Ezoshiten in Tokyo in 1914. Selling postcards, letter sets, and other stationery goods featuring Takehisa’s designs, this shop is credited with being one of the first shops in Japan selling products designed specifically for young women, hence kicking off the kawaii movement.
While this may seem like a minor event, the popularity of such a shop reflect large societal changes that were taking place at that time in Japan. Prior to the Taisho period, girls often went straight from elementary school into marriage or working life. However, starting in early Taisho, the number of young girls attending secondary education greatly increased, especially among middle and upper-middle class families. With plenty of leisure time between studies (and disposable income), letter writing became an extremely popular pastime and letter sets featuring Takehisa’s modern, western-style motifs became all the rage.
Takehisa also placed a strong importance on the cuteness of his designs and is said to have referred to them as ‘kawaii,’ a word not commonly used in that context at the time. While Minatoya Ezoshiten closed in 1916, just 2 years after opening (likely due to his poor business sense rather than a decline in demand), the popularity of goods targeted at this growing new market did not go unnoticed and products targeted at school-age girls continued to flourish.
Takehisa continued to work throughout the 1920s, however, both his popularity and spirit waned following the Great Kanto Earthquake in the Tokyo region in 1923 in which he lost much of his work. Sadly, he fell ill while traveling in Europe and passed away in 1934, soon after returning to Japan, at the young age of 50.
Takehisa was never quite appreciated by the conservative art establishment of his time, and was largely forgotten throughout the early Showa period. However, renewed interest in the Taisho period during the 1970s helped bring Takehisa’s art back in the public eye and he continues to remain popular in Japan today. There are multiple museums and special exhibits throughout Japan dedicated to celebrating his art and contributions to Japanese illustration, graphic design and kawaii culture. There is even a specialty store, Minatoya in Nihonbashi Tokyo which sells prints and various other goods featuring his designs. And of course, what started with his humble little shop in downtown Tokyo, the kawaii goods market has now grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry, bringing joy to young girls and women throughout the world.
