Saburō Masu

Shumin Ota, born as Saburō Masu, graduated from Japanese painting department of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and became a student of Kanpo Araki and, after his death, of his adopted son Jippo Araki. His works were presented at the Bunten and later the Emperor’s Exhibition, winning the first prize in 1917. In 1924, he participated in a joint exhibition with local artists in China. Ota specialized in painting flowers and birds. He served as director of the Fukuyo Art Association and became a member of the Todai Japanese Painting Association. In 1945 he evacuated to Fukushima City, where he served as a judge at the first three prefectural exhibitions. After he lost his wife and two of his children at an early age, he died soon afterwards.