Bird’s-eye views depict vast landscapes from an aerial perspective, as if seen by a bird in flight. Yoshida Hatsusaburo (1884-1955) is renowned for creating bird’s-eye views of locations throughout Japan. This exhibition features Hatsusaburo’s works depicting various regions of Hokkaido. We are especially pleased to present the hand-painted originals of “Bird’s-Eye View of Hokkaido” and the ten-piece landscape series “Ten Views of Hokkaido,” commissioned by the Hokkaido Government. This year marks the 90th anniversary of their completion. These masterpieces are truly magnificent. Join us on a journey through Hokkaido’s past through Hatsusaburo’s artwork. Hokkaido Museum

Yoshida Hatsusaburo (1884-1955) was born in Kyoto. He loved to draw from childhood and aspired to become an oil painter. However, due to financial constraints, he became a commercial artist, creating works on commission. In 1913, one of his commissioned works received praise from Japan’s Crown Prince (later Emperor Showa) as “beautiful and easy to understand.” This recognition inspired him to focus his career on creating bird’s-eye views. Throughout his lifetime, He created at least 1,600 works, including bird’s-eye views and other illustrations.

Please refer to the link below How to Read Hatsusaburo’s Bird’s-Eye Views

Hatsusaburo’s bird’s-eye views feature bold compositions that highlight a featured region and its surroundings. Most were commissioned by local governments and tourism associations nationwide, and published as tourism guidebook pamphlets. After visiting each location for field research, Hatsusaburo carefully crafted his works, paying attention to level of detail, scale, placement, and color to make each region’s highlights stand out. This chapter explores the charm of various Hokkaido locations as depicted in Hatsusaburo’s bird’s-eye views.

This is one of the earliest surviving works depicting Hokkaido. The red line represents a railway to Jozankei Hot Springs, located south of Sapporo (this railway line no longer exists). Sapporo appears on the right edge, and following the tracks reveals the attractions of Jozankei Hot Springs. The detailed topographical expression is a highlight of this work.

Ashibetsu was a town that prospered from coal mining. The townscape is depicted spreading along the river, surrounded by mountains. Between the mountains and the town, coal mining facilities are drawn in fine detail, effectively capturing the region’s character.

Hatsusaburo sometimes created multiple versions of the same region for different clients. Comparing these works reveals insights into his creative process. The two works in the lower right of this panel both depict Asahikawa – the upper one from 1930, the lower from 1936. The major difference: the 1930 version (top) shows the port city of Rumoi on the left coast, while the 1936 version (bottom) depicts Asahikawa’s urban area much larger. This difference reflects their different commissioners. The 1930 version was commissioned by the Asahikawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasizing maritime export routes for commercial development. The 1936 version was commissioned by Asahikawa City Hall, emphasizing the city’s urban growth. Hatsusaburo had the skill to create distinctly different works of the same region based on each client’s needs.

These two works both depict Otaru – the upper from 1931, the lower from 1936. The five-year difference shows the development of the coastal area (canal), which connects to Otaru’s present-day tourist landscape. In both works, the railway extending into the sea on the middle-right, and the large machinery on the middle-left in the 1936 version, are coal-loading facilities for ships. These images show how Otaru served as an important maritime gateway during the coal mining boom.

The “Bird’s-Eye View of Hokkaido” depicts Hokkaido as if viewed from high above, painted on a massive canvas approximately 5.7 meters wide. The “Ten Views of Hokkaido” is a ten-piece series depicting landscapes from various regions of Hokkaido. These works were commissioned by the Hokkaido Government for Emperor Showa’s visit to Hokkaido in autumn 1936. The works showcase regional cities and their connecting transportation networks, national parks, hot spring resorts, and other scenic and tourist spots, conveying Hokkaido’s development status and attractive destinations of that era. This chapter presents the hand-painted originals of both “Bird’s-Eye View of Hokkaido” and “Ten Views of Hokkaido” together.

This work depicts Hokkaido from an aerial perspective over the Pacific Ocean, covering a broad area centered on Hokkaido. Dense urban areas such as Sapporo, Obihiro, and Asahikawa are shown, along with detailed expressions of hot spring facilities with rising steam and volcanoes with billowing smoke. Step back to view the whole composition, then move closer to appreciate the fine details. This work was also printed as a pamphlet for handheld viewing.

Please refer to the link below Coming soon

This is a ten-piece landscape series depicting scenes from across Hokkaido, later printed as postcards. According to Hokkaido Government records, Hatsusaburo sketched major scenic spots throughout Hokkaido, from which ten exceptional works were selected. The selection includes places visited by the Emperor, such as Nemuro, Otaru Port, and Sapporo Shrine, as well as scenic spots within national parks like Sounkyo Gorge, Lake Akan-ko, and Lake Shikaribetsu-ko. The ten locations were carefully chosen to provide variety: cliffs, volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, peninsulas, and buildings.

The “Bird’s-Eye View of Hokkaido” was presented to Emperor Showa on the morning of October 7, 1936, during his visit to Hokkaido. The presentation took place on the second floor of the Hokkaido Government building, now known as the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building (Red Brick Building), which has become a popular tourist attraction. As shown in the photograph on the lower right, the work was originally framed rather than mounted as a folding screen.

In preparing this exhibition, we visited all the locations depicted in “Ten Views of Hokkaido.” Compare the paintings (left) with present-day scenery (right).

This depicts an aerial view of the lighthouse at Chikyū-misaki Cape in Muroran. Since the 1930s, Chikyū-misaki Cape has been considered an ideal spot for spring outings and was already a popular tourist attraction. Contemporary newspapers (lower left image) and tourism pamphlet photographs show the lighthouse from a similar perspective to this work. Unfortunately, this viewpoint is no longer accessible today. Rather than depicting the tourist-friendly spring season, this work shows a winter landscape. The brightness of the lighthouse conveys how it serves as a beacon even on stormy winter nights. The expression of the blizzard, created by spattering white paint, is a highlight of this work – you can almost feel the strength of the wind.

This depicts the view of Mount O-Akan and Lake Akan-ko from the summit of Mount Me-Akan. This area became part of Akan National Park when it was designated in 1934. Records from those who worked to establish the national park describe the view from Me-Akan’s summit on clear days as having “outstanding panoramic beauty,” noting that “one feels as if in a celestial realm.” Comparing this work with the photograph (lower image), you can see that the undulations of Mount O-Akan in the foreground are emphasized. This creates a dynamic landscape of Mount O-Akan that matches the powerful presence of Mount Me-Akan’s volcanic plumes.

This depicts a view looking down on Lake Shikaribetsu-ko from high above. This area became part of Daisetsuzan National Park when it was designated in 1934. The road to Lake Shikaribetsu-ko was completed in 1932 through development by the Hokkaido Government. The bridge (Hakuun Bridge) built at that time is depicted in the lower left. The lakeside features shown from back to front are: hot spring, hot spring inn, and Hakuun Bridge. Comparing with the location map (lower left image) reveals how the lakeside topography was greatly compressed to fit these elements into the composition. The newly built infrastructure of the road and bridge is particularly emphasized, perhaps expressing the Hokkaido Government’s achievements.

This depicts Ginga-no-taki Falls in Sounkyo Gorge. This area became part of Daisetsuzan National Park when it was designated in 1934. A book published in 1936, the same year as this work, describes Ginga-no-taki Falls as resembling “a white dragon ascending to heaven,” identifying it as one of Sounkyo’s major scenic spots. Comparing this work with the photograph (lower left image), the topographical emphasis and distortion are relatively restrained compared to other works in “Ten Views of Hokkaido.” However, the depiction of mist rising between the foreground coniferous forest and Ginga-no-taki Falls differs from the photograph, creating a more mysterious atmosphere.

This depicts Asahibashi Bridge in Asahikawa City with the Daisetsuzan mountain range in the background. Rebuilt in 1932, Asahibashi Bridge was designed to become a symbol of Asahikawa and continues to support the city’s transportation today. Streetcars also ran across it when this work was created. While it would be difficult to see such a large Daisetsuzan in the actual scenery, this work depicts the mountain range looming massively over Asahibashi Bridge. The placement is carefully arranged so both elements can serve as main subjects.

This depicts a view from high above looking down at Nemuro, the Kuril Islands beyond, and the surrounding sea. Nemuro at that time served as a maritime gateway with numerous shipping routes connecting to the Kuril Islands. It was also important as an international communications hub, maintaining contact not only with nearby vessels but also with routes to North America. Because this work covers a wide area, overall detail is limited. However, facilities such as the wireless telegraph station, lighthouse, and naval airfield are depicted with recognizable characteristics. This creates an expression focused on maritime transportation and communications rather than the landscape itself.

This depicts a view of Mount Tarumae from the shore of Lake Shikotsu-ko. Though Lake Shikotsu-ko was not a national park at the time, it may have been selected as a subject for “Ten Views of Hokkaido” as a place associated with the imperial family, having been visited by the Crown Prince (later Emperor Showa) in 1922. Comparing with present-day scenery (lower left image), while the distinctive shape of Mount Tarumae is accurately captured, its width is compressed and its relief is exaggerated compared to reality. Furthermore, comparing with the postcard (lower right image), the small boat in this work is depicted smaller than it actually is. These techniques create an effect that emphasizes the grand scale of the landscape. The thin blue gradation along the top edge of the composition evokes the “ichimonji bokashi” technique from ukiyo-e prints. Combined with the blue water of Lake Shikotsu-ko, which appears to reflect sunlight, this expresses the peaceful atmosphere of the lakeshore on a clear day.

This depicts a view of Mount Komagatake from Onuma Park. Onuma Park has been cherished as a scenic spot, having been selected as one of the “New Three Great Views of Japan” in 1915. Comparing with a photograph postcard from around the same period (lower image), while the composition is similar, this work is depicted from a higher perspective than the photograph. This ensures that elements characterizing Onuma Park’s landscape – islands floating in the lake, small boats, bridges, and Mount Komagatake – don’t overlap. Notably, the small boat is drawn very small compared to the nearby bridge, which may have been Hatsusaburo’s way of expressing Onuma Park’s grand scale.

This depicts a view looking down on Otaru Port from elevated ground. Otaru Port was crucial for Hokkaido’s development, with long-term construction projects including breakwater construction and land reclamation beginning in the 1910s. In 1936, the same year this work was created, high-performance coal-loading equipment called transporters was completed, and further development of Otaru Port was anticipated. The composition appears to be viewed from near the observation deck of Otaru Park, depicting coal-loading facilities extending into the sea and numerous cargo ships gathered in the port. On the land side, buildings with pointed roofs like churches and tall buildings that appear to be made of stone or concrete, similar to the banking district, line the streets. This expresses the development as a port city, connecting to Otaru’s present-day tourist image.

This depicts a diagonal right-side view of the worship hall of Sapporo Shrine. Sapporo Shrine, now known as Hokkaido Shrine, is also popular as a tourist destination. In this work, a small tree surrounded by a fence is depicted in front of the worship hall, with a wooden plaque also shown. This tree appears in photographs from around the same period as this work. A tree planted by the Crown Prince (later Emperor Showa) in 1922 still exists near the front of the worship hall today. While we cannot definitively identify the depicted tree as this imperial tree, it may have been drawn as a tree associated with the Emperor. Also, while Emperor Showa’s visit was in autumn, this work depicts a snow scene, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Hatsusaburo’s work extended beyond bird’s-eye views. For example, he also designed most of the covers for pamphlets featuring bird’s-eye views. He conveyed regional charm through different methods as well, such as creating sets of postcards depicting representative landscapes and buildings from various locations. These works, like the bird’s-eye views, were created on commission. In other words, they visualize the images that regions wanted to project externally for purposes such as tourism promotion. This chapter explores the “town images” that regions sought to communicate through pamphlet covers and postcards from various Hokkaido locations.

Looking at Hokkaido-related covers, some depict buildings or landscapes that symbolize regional tourism, such as the cover of the Sapporo City guidebook (3-3-2) and the cover of “Bird’s-Eye View of Kamikawa Subprefecture” (3-1-4). Meanwhile, others highlight key local industries, like the cover of the Mikasa Town guidebook (3-2-1), or feature local products, like the covers of the Furen Town guidebook (3-1-1) and Shimizu Town guidebook (3-2-2). The latter type was not necessarily created for tourism purposes. They may have been used, for example, to provide regional overviews when introducing the area to visitors from other regions. Hatsusaburo might be considered a figure who supported regional promotion in a broader sense, not limited to tourism.

This is the cover of the “Bird’s-Eye View of Sapporo City” guidebook. By depicting false acacia trees (robinia) in front of the Clock Tower, it evokes the actual tourist experience. A newspaper article from the same year as this work describes “the historic Clock Tower keeping time in Sapporo, the city of acacias,” showing that the image of Sapporo as associated with the Clock Tower and acacia trees was already well established.