Abstract
In this paper, the auther aims to elucidate the artistic qualities that Sozo Kurahashi sought in preschool childrenʼs magazines such as Kodomo No Kuni and the Kinder Book. The research approach considered three perspectives: the analysis of Kurahashi-related literature, the artistry of magazine binding and the art aimed at children, and the relationship between Kurahashiʼs theory of childrenʼs art and art appreciation education. The results confirm that Kurahashi recognized the artistry of art made for children, especially the “childlike artistic temperament” revealed in Kiichi Okamotoʼs art, from a perspective that differed from the conventional assessment of the formative beauty of art aimed at children influenced by Taisho Modernism and the esthetic harmony of size, paper quality, and color of magazines. In addition, “perfection of humanity” through “art appreciation education” and the development of the mind of each child were the true goals of the early childhood education Kurahashi incorporated into these types of picture magazines. Furthermore, this reserch suggests that the advancement of culture was considered as a means of improving humanity as a whole.
