Manabe Hideo, a Nameless Painter with Three Names: A Case Study on the Multiple Identities of the First-Generation of the Zainichi Koreans

Abstract

Manabe Hideo (Korean name Kim Chong-nam, 1914-86) was born in Korea and studied oil painting in Japan during the prewar period. He belongs to the first generation of Zainichi (Korean-Japanese) or Koreans who remained in Japan after the Second World War. Despite his significance in Korean modern art history as one of a few Korean artists who worked in a surrealist style, little is known about him and his art. To address this gap this paper presents primary source material related to Manabe Hideos life and work. Moreover, it explores the relationship between his art practices and his identity as a Zainichi Korean living in postwar Japan. This study argues that Manabe was an avant-gardist who, among Korean artists, was perhaps the most engaged in using surrealist forms and compositions. It is also meaningful to examine his life and art closely given that he identified himself more as a Japanese person rather than a Korean. As such, this paper aims to contribute to the overall understanding of Zainichi artists who are both a part of Japanese society as well as significant figures in Korean modern and contemporary art history.