The artist and illustrator Akira Mohri (1935–2008), second son of Nihonga (Japanese-style painter) artist Shuukou Mohri, was born in the Tottori prefecture of Japan. His Grandfather, Shounan, was also a Nihonga artist and Akira was not late to following in the artistic footsteps of his family. In high school his talent for oil painting had already bloomed and his art was selected for several prefectural and countrywide exhibitions. After graduating high school Mohri moved to Tokyo and for a while made an effort to make a name as a Fine Artist, but eventually he changed his goals and started working as a Commercial Artist. From 1957 to 1972 he worked as a fashion illustrator for the advertising department of Isetan flagship store in Shinjuku.
From 1971 he started working as a freelance illustrator while also making original art. He worked on everything from advertising, book covers, movie posters, and illustrations for stories in magazines and newspapers.
Some of his most celebrated projects were illustrations for Ayako Sono’s stories “Kami no oyogoreta te/The unclean hand of god”, “Tenjyou no ao/The blue of the sky”, and “Aika/Lament”. His cover illustrations for the hardback editions of Osamu Tezukas manga “Hi no tori/ Phoenix”, the cover illustrations for the historical sculpture books published by Gakken, and his illustrations for Mister Donut packages.
In 2005 his health deteriorated, and he was hospitalized. He returned to his hometown in Tottori 2007 to recuperate, but passed away April 2008.
“Basically, I want to draw realistically. But mere realism never satisfies me. Perfect detailed pictures make me uneasy.
My love of realism makes me use bold touches, because they make my realism even more effective.
I’m always trying new methods in order to express my inner feelings. But I still find it difficult” – Akira Mohri.
