TBS Female Announcer Kaede Ito Embraces Unconventional Career Shift to Painter, Inspired by Shinobu Sakagami and Hikaru Ijuin; Reveals Solo Move to Germany

Shinobu Sakaue and Hikaru Ijuin …….

The venue was decorated with flowers sent by many celebrities. All of them were people who pushed him to become a painter. Kaede Ito, 30, a former TBS employee, who held a solo exhibition of paintings titled “How Long Can a Person Keep Dreaming?

Since I was at TBS, Mr. Sakagami and Mr. Ijuin told me, ‘You have a lot of energy, so do what you want. Thanks to those words, I was able to take the plunge. Now he is based in Germany, where he is engaged in creative activities, but he is constantly troubled and suffering. I would be happy if you could find some courage in my struggles as a Japanese artist in the world through my works.

Mr. Ito’s path to becoming a painter was not a smooth one. We would like to introduce the troubled and exciting life of Mr. Ito in his own words.

Qualification as a portrait painter acquired at university

Mr. Ito has been interested in painting since he was a child.

When I went to the zoo with my mother, we used to draw pictures of living creatures together. My mother had a good sense of aesthetics, and she gave me good advice, saying, ‘You should use these colors. I was in the badminton club in high school, and I designed the student T-shirts for the sports festival. I remember I was particular about the font of the letters.

After graduating from high school, he went on to study at Rikkyo University’s Faculty of Letters.

After graduating from high school, I went on to study at Rikkyo University’s Faculty of Letters. I took the English Proficiency Test, the Secretarial Test, and the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (……). My mother told me, ‘You should take it because it’s interesting,’ so I took a correspondence test and became a portrait artist. This certification became a turning point for me when I later became a female announcer.

When she was in elementary school, Ms. Ito saw Yukari Nishio (formerly of Nippon Television Network Corporation, now freelance) and other female announcers on TV, and she admired them as “intelligent and dignified women. At university, she was a member of the Broadcasting Research Association.’ After joining TBS in April 2004 and taking the first step toward her dream of becoming an announcer, she was away from the world of painting for a while.

The turning point for me came in the fall of 2006, my third year with the company. I was an assistant on Masahiro Nakai’s variety show, and I had to improvise portraits of celebrities and ordinary people who consulted with me. I was qualified as a portrait artist, which I had acquired during my college years,” he said.

Ito began to study drawing, determined to do it properly and not half-heartedly. He began to study drawing at home every day, copying photographs and animals.

I went to a specialty store and bought 150 professional colored pencils to make my drawings more realistic,” he said. I got more and more addicted to the joy of drawing. I thought that if I wanted a realistic depiction, I could do it with photographs, so I started painting with watercolors along the way. In the world of painting, I was able to express my personality to the fullest.

On the other hand, I also became deeply troubled. In painting, I can use my sensitivity and subjectivity, but as an announcer, I have to be fair, neutral, and objective. I began to wonder, “What is it that I want to do? I began to have strong feelings of “What is it that I want to do? I spent many days asking myself these questions.

Going to Germany alone to start from scratch

Ms. Ito shared her passion for painting with Sakagami and Ijuin, who co-hosted the program with her. The advice they gave him at that time was the words introduced at the beginning of this article. Mr. Ito made a big decision. In February 2009, he left TBS and chose to become a painter.

I loved TBS because the people were warm and allowed me to do various jobs. I also gave 100% of my all to my work as a female TV announcer. However, even though I seemed to be leading a fulfilling life to those around me, I was conflicted on the inside. When I told the president, ‘I’m going into the world of painting,’ he smiled and forgave me, saying, ‘I can’t stop you from trying to accomplish great things. ……

I no longer have the title of “female announcer” and I have nothing to offer. Let’s start from scratch, put myself in an environment where no one knows me. With this in mind, I decided to go alone to Europe, where I could have daily contact with classical paintings. I have traveled to England and France before, so I can imagine my life there. As for the destination, I decided on Germany, where I could take on the challenge with a pure and simple mind, without any travel experience or knowledge.

However, in Germany, where he moved in October 2009, unimaginable hardships awaited him. In Part 2, we will introduce Mr. Ito’s lonely struggle in a foreign country.

Part 2: From Announcer to Painter…Kaede Ito “S aved a Life of Suffering in Germany” by Going Into Business Alone