Toshi Maruki

Toshi Maruki (née Toshiko Akamatsu) was born on February 11, 1912 in Chippubetsu, Hokkaido, to the family of the head priest of Zenshōji Temple. She studied oil painting at the Women’s Academy of Fine Arts (now Joshibi University of Art and Design), after which she spent time in both Russia and Micronesia. In 1941 she married the suibokuga artist Iri Maruki. After the war, she and Iri collaborated on a large number of socially engaged paintings, including the “Hiroshima Panels,” “The Rape of Nanking,” “Auschwitz,” “Minamata,” and “The Battle of Okinawa.” Toshi also earned acclaim as an author and illustrator of children’s books, including “Hiroshima no Pika” and “Tsutsuji no Musume” (about the power of longing and desire), which continue to be read widely. On January 13, 2000 she died peacefully at the age of 87.