Summary

Masuji Ono says he first met Mr. Saito sixteen years ago (i.e. in 1933, when Japanese nationalism and expansionism were first gearing up, and Masuji Ono was coming to prominence for his nationalist paintings). This is important because Masuji Ono’s daughters insist Mr. Saito did not know him until the present time, and they say he did not know of Masuji Ono’s nationalist art.

Stepping away from the discussion of when he met Mr. Saito, Masuji Ono says Kawabe park is the most satisfying of the city’s parks—it was meant to embody Japanese culture when Sugimura designed it in the 1920s.

Masuji Ono recalls his time working with Moriyama in the pleasure district, painting the floating world with its temporary pleasures evaporate in the morning. He says the seven years he worked under Moriyama were the most crucial to his career...