page_title: Yoshio Markino
section_title: United Kingdom
hierarchical_section_title: Yoshio Markino / Artist / United Kingdom
caption_attribution_description: English: Print for Collections and Reflections by Yoshio Markino of his studio at 39 Redcliffe Kensington South London
context_page_description: Yoshio Markino was a Japanese watercolour artist and author who from 1897 - 1942 was based in London.
context_section_description: In December 1897, Markino decided to move to London on the advice of Ide Umataro who he had met during his time studying art. From 1898 he began working in the Japanese Naval Inspector's Office in London by day and studying in South Kensington College of Science at nightschool. In March 1898 he began studying with the Goldsmith Technical College, switching in 1900 over to the Central School of Art and Design where he would work as an artist's model and later designing tomb-stone markers for 3 months only, on account that he had offended onservative religious mourners by his depiction of angels as 'ballet dancers'. Incredibly poor, he would often visit publishers for day-to-day work and walked everywhere as he had no money for the public transport living on 'Bovril and rice'. He kept a studio in No. 39 Redcliffe Road, South Kensington living in Brixton.
  Given his financial straits, Markino became downtrodden, eventually being encouraged by Henry Wilson. Wilson, fond of 
   Japanese art, promised to introduce him to Charles Holmes (who was also known to be fond of the vogue for Japanese woodcuts) who was the editor of Studio. In November 1901, his works were published in Studio, introducing Markino as an artist. In December, he met Hirobumi Ito. October 1902 his work began began to become popular, publishing The Japanese Dumpy Book with Grants Richard and in King Magazine. From November 1902 he began living with Noguchi in Brixton,  Markino at this stage in his career frequently having little income. In 1903 his work appeared in The English Illustrated Magazine and he illustrated Noguchi's From the Eastern Sea and for Unicorn Press as an illustrator. His work in August was published in the Magazine of Art. Marion Spielmann the editor fond of Markino's sketches, took him under his wing and introduced him to a wider Edwardian social circle, encouraging Markino to draw, paint and write, introducing him to Douglas Sladen. Sladen onwards would invite him to his Kensington home for tea and art parties.
  In 1904 the artist Hara Bushō moved in with Markino until May 1905. In September 1905, Markino was nominated for the Venice Great Art Exposition representing Britain Art Association, and based on the recommendation of the editor of the Magazine of Art, (M. Spielmann), he receives membership as a research student for national museums in Britain. In 1906 his illustrations of London, were published 8 May 1907 in The Colour of London achieving critical acclaim, holding an exhibition of his works in Clifford Gallery in Haymarket. From May until June though, he became hospitalized in West London due to complications from a gastrointestinal related operation complication.
  In 1908 The Colour of Paris and  The Colour of Rome were published in England by Chatto and Windus, and after having traveled to Paris and Rome, he returned to London in September 1909 to work on his next work Oxford from Within staying in Oxford to research the new work. In 1910 with the publication of A Japanese artist in London and Oxford from Within, he guided friends around the Japan–British Exhibition, and he appeared in that year's Who's Who, until 1949. In 1911 he released a watercolour of Windsor Castle to celebrate Queen Mary's coronation. In 1912 The Charm of London was further published.
  From 1918 onwards he studied Greek, Latin and English historical literature, continuing to write, paint and lecture, but his popularity waned with the death of influential friends in WWI. He married and moved country from 1923 - 1927, but upon his return found all his belongings he had left with another Japanese resident of London had been swindled. He managed to set up another exhibition and sell his watercolours but due to his time away fro the literary scene was regarded as outdated and lived a truly bohemian lifestyle with English and Japanese friends from there on out.
  A devoted Anglophile, Markino only returned to Japan in 1942 due to WWII when England declared war on Japan for attacking British Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1952 in Kamakura he met Carmen Blacker w
caption: 39 Redcliffe Kensington London
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