Toshio Nagahiro

Background

Toshio Nagahiro was born on December 27, 1905, in Tokyo, Japan. He was a son of Tuneichiro Nagahiro, an officer, and Asa Nagahiro, a homemaker.

Education

Toshio studied at Kyoto Imperial University (present-day Kyoto University), where he received a Doctor of Philosophy in Literature degree.

Career

In 1950, Toshio began his career as a professor at the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, a post he held till 1969. During the period from 1969 till 1986, Nagahiro served as a professor at Kyoto Tachibana Women’s College.

Also, in 1952, Toshio started to work as a writer and researcher. One his particular study, "Yun-kang: The Buddhist Cave-Temples of the 5th Century A.D. in North China", is contained in sixteen volumes and gives a detailed report of the archaeological survey, carried out by the mission of the Tohobunka Kenkyusho in Northern China. Since the survey included nine different caves, three kingdoms and six dynasties, the work occurred over a number of years and required continual enumerating of the sculptures and articles found.

In the 1960's, Nagahiro’s work included "The Representational Art of the Han Dynasty" and "Stone Engravings of Nanyang". Nagahiro also wrote "A Study of Hiten or Flying Angels" and "A Study of the Buddhist Cave-Temples at Lung-men, Honan". The latter book included information about Buddhism under the Northern Wei dynasty.

When other men thought of retirement, Nagahiro was still an active participant in the exploration and recording of Chinese excavations. In his later years, after writing "Yun-kang Cave Temples", Nagahiro wrote "Great Sculpture of the Far East", together with Eun Hyun Yum and Takeshi Kuno.

One of Toshio's last works was "Studies of Chinese Art", published in 1984. He continued to write into his nineties and worked on a book about life in Yun-kang during the war years.

Achievements

• Toshio Nagahiro was a prominent Japanese art historian and writer, who conducted research on Buddhist cave-temples. He attained several awards, including Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy in 1952 and Kyoto Prize in 1987.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A Study of Hiten or Flying Angels 1949
  • Great sculpture of the Far East 1979
  • Representational Art of the Six Dynasties Period 1969
  • A Study of Hiten or Flying Angels 1949
  • The Representational Art of the Han Dynasty 1965

Connections

Toshio married Suma Nagahiro, a homemaker, on January 25, 1935.

Father:

Tuneichiro Nagahiro

Mother:

Asa Nagahiro

Wife:

Suma Nagahiro