Beauties of the twelve months

Shoen's entry Yujo kiyu (The Courtesan Kiyu) in the 9th Shinkobijutsuhin exhibition, 1904, was defaced by someone allegedly jealous of her fame. The exhibition authorities were unsympathetic, stating only that the work was unsightly and should be repaired by the next morning. Angry, Shoen abandoned the work and the exhibition. Those days were not like nowadays, she later reflected, as she suffered hardships and ill treatment by society and her colleagues. To prevail, she said, she studied hard, hoping to put her enemies to shame in the future.

Her original signature was "Shoen me" (Shoen, woman), as here, or Shoen joshi" (Ms. Shoen). She used this signature until 1924 when she was elected judge of the 5th Exhibition of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (Teiten), the only female painter so honored. To judge at this exhibition was prestigious and she began to sign her work simply "Shoen."