Japanese Modernist Artist Koiso’s ‘Long-Lost Masterpiece’ Returns to Kobe from South Korea after 90 Years

By Naoko Kimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:25 JST, March 15, 2026

KOBE — A masterpiece by Kobe-born Western-style painter Ryohei Koiso (1903-88), created in the early 20th century before the World War II, has temporarily returned from South Korea after a nearly 90-year absence. The painting is now on display alongside around 110 other works at the artist’s dedicated Kobe City Koiso Memorial Museum of Art in Kobe.

Titled “Girl with a Japanese Hair Style” (1935), the painting’s whereabouts had been unknown after the end of World War II until 2008, when it was discovered to have been preserved at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. The work encapsulates Koiso’s ambition and experimental spirit at the height of his creativity.

At a preview held in January, the museum’s director Yasumasa Oka said, “I’m deeply moved to see the piece finally arrive and be displayed at this museum. I’m grateful for [the Seoul museum’s] generous consideration,” to Chang Eun-jeong, director of the Seoul museum’s heritage management department, who had tirelessly worked for the painting’s homecoming. Oka and Chang shared in the joy of unveiling the “long-lost masterpiece.”

The painting depicts a woman wearing a semi formal style kimono reserved for social visits, adorned with long and colorful ribbon-like patterns. These are accentuated with chrysanthemum and arabesque motifs and boldly arranged from the shoulder down to the bottom of the garment. The woman is strikingly depicted sitting on a chair from a diagonal, slightly elevated.

The model is Taneko Ueda, who was raised in Kobe and frequently posed for Koiso’s works in the 1930s, including “Woman in Kimono” (1935).

A painter herself, Ueda’s gaze and expression in the piece convey the determination and self-reliance of a modern woman, contrasting with her kimono and traditional Japanese momoware (split peach) hairstyle.

Traditional subject in oil

Koiso had been 32 years old at the time. Tackling the traditional subject of a woman in kimono in oil painting represents his drive to break new ground in artistic expression.

“This is not only a work of a talented artist at his peak, but also a turning point in an era heading toward war,” Oka said, explaining the work’s historical context. Its meticulous composition and realistic yet simplified interpretation of the human subject are an “academic, yet very modern approach,” he added.

Oka also said the piece “was meant to serve as a manifesto for artists yearning for freedom.”

In 1935, Koiso displayed the work at a Dainibukai exhibition, which was an organization established in opposition to state control of art. Highly praised for its approach of modern Western-style painting, the work was purchased by the Yi Royal Museum and sent to the Korean peninsula in the same year.

The Yi Royal Collection features about 200 Japanese artworks, including crafts and paintings. The painting is positioned as a particularly important work among the roughly 40 modern Western-style paintings in the collection, according to Chang.

Following the end of World War II, the collection became state property and transferred to the National Museum of Korea. However, the painting’s whereabouts became unknown amid postwar political turmoil and fluctuating Japan-South Korea relations. Research progressed in the 2000s when tensions between the two nations eased, and finally the piece was rediscovered when exhibited in South Korea in 2008.

After its tumultuous history, the homecoming of the painting resulted from the steady cultural exchange through art, which eventually bore fruit with the right timing.

“A Kobe native, Koiso strongly showcases his identity as a modernist in this work. I hope many people see it,” Oka said.

At “Koiso Ryohei: Illusory Masterpiece ‘Girl with a Japanese Hair Style,’” the painting is featured alongside around 110 works including Taisho era (1912-26) masterpieces from Koiso’s later years. The exhibition will run through March 22.