Takuma Kajiwara

was a Japanese-born He was the third of five brothers. One of them, Kango, was a court painter.

Takuma came to St. Louis in the United States in 1905, "lured to the city partly by an offer of employment in a studio and even more by a desire to see the Mississippi River", according to his obituary in the St. Louis Star-Times. While in St. Louis he lived at the Warwick Hotel.

He was a naturalized citizen of the United States. They were wed in the home of Paul F. Berdanier, a former St. Louis artist. In 1938, the Kajiwaras went to Japan and stayed a year. In his obituaries, his wife was identified as Makota or Makoto Kajiwara. He was also survived by two brothers who lived in Japan. Fern Searls was born on July 30, 1893, and died in New York City at the age of 61 on July 13, 1955.

Kajiwara and artist Frederick Oakes Sylvester were friends. According to one account, their amity was "warm enough to cause them to cut wrists and mingle blood in a gesture of unity." Kajiwara did photographic work for The Great River, a book by Sylvester collecting his paintings of the Mississippi. Photos show the men painting together.

Later in life, for recreation, he enjoyed golf. Kajiwara was especially talented for photographing women, being quoted at one time by fellow photographer Albert H. Strebler as often telling them "I will make you look like a glamor queen."

New York City

Kajiwara left St. Louis in February 1936, telling reporters that the Great Depression had made earning a living through photography and painting too difficult for him. He said the Midwest was "barren soil for the artist" and that the centers of painting were in the East. The Photographers' Association of America identified him as one of the best photographers in America.

Notable people photographed by Takuma Kajiwara

Zoe Akins, playwright and author Roger N. Baldwin, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union Blanche Bates, actress Elise J. Blattner, lecturer Florence Hayward, writer Marguerite Martyn, journalist Adele Schulenburg, sculptor Caroline G. Thummel, attorney

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