About the artist
Kazuma Oda was a painter, lithographer and woodblock print artist active during the early 20th century. Born in Tokyo, Oda received a diverse artistic education. He studied Western-style painting under Kiyoo Kawamura, while he trained in lithographic technique with both his brother and Masajiro Kaneko. Though Oda was principally associated with the Sosaku Hanga, or “Creative Print” movement, he also designed works for the famous Shin Hanga publisher Shozaburo Watanabe in the 1920s. An active participant in artistic organizations, Oda was a founding member of the Nihon Sosaku-Hanga Kyokai (Japan Creative Print Association) in 1918, the Yofu Hangakai (Western Style Print Society) in 1930, and the Nihon Hanga Kyokai (Japan Print Association) in 1931. Oda took particular interest in ukiyo-e and wrote two books on the topic: Eighteen Studies of Ukiyo-e and Ukiyo-e and the Art of Illustration.