Kita Renzo: A Life in Painting and War Documentation Born: Gifu, Japan (1876) Died: 1949 Kita Renzo was a Japanese painter whose career spanned the late Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods. He is recognized for his western-style painting training, his role as an official war artist documenting Japan's involvement in both the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War, and his ability to capture poignant moments of human experience amidst conflict. Early Life and Training Kita Renzo received his early artistic education under the tutelage of Yamamoto Hōsu, a prominent f…