Fukuzo Ota

Tenyo Ota was one of Japan’s best known history painters in the style of the 15th and 16th century Tosa School. Also known as Fukuzo Ota, he attended the Tokyo School of Fine Arts becoming a student of Meiji painters Yamana Nukigi and Tomone Kobori. During this time he was drafted to the Japanese army and served in the occupied Korea, where he was also active in archeological excavations. Later he was invited to the Bunten exhibition. Many of his works have been collected by National Museum of Modern Art.

The Japanese Classical Polo, originally from China, is called Dakyū, which is also the original title of the painting that Ota submitted in Berlin. The game, however, is also played on foot and contains elements of North American lacrosse.