Toko Shinoda (b. 1913 Manchuria, China) was the daughter of a businessman. Her father, a manager of the Far East Tobacco Company, practiced calligraphy—one of his many hobbies. It proved to be an early influence for the young Shinoda, who would study calligraphy, and later teach the discipline early in her career.

In 1954, Shinoda was one of the 35 artists included in an exhibition about Japanese Calligraphy at the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition served as a springboard for her two-year stay in the U.S. between 1956 and 1958, and over a decade of travel between the two countries, which included exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, Swetzoff Gallery in Boston, and later representation by Betty Parsons.

Solo Exhibitions
1958—Abstract Calligraphy, Feb 25—March 15

Artist Toko Shinoda
Washington Star, 1958, Courtesy DC Public Library [ #174 ]

connected archival press clips

She’s an Expert on Calligraphy
She’s an Expert on Calligraphy
March 28, 2024
Washington Star
At the age of 19 Miss Shinoda broke away from her classical training and sought a free flowing original form of her own. Using actual calligraphic words as a theme, she has developed imaginative linear abstractions which merely suggest their original inspiration.
She’s an Expert on Calligraphy
She’s an Expert on Calligraphy
March 28, 2024
Washington Star
A modern interpretation of the ancient art of calligraphy is now being exhibited at the Jefferson Gallery by Miss Toko Shinoda of Tokyo, Japan.