She exhibited at the 9th "Nihon Kaiga Kyokai and Nihon Bijutsuin Rengou Kyoshinkai", and she was given the silver medal, and achieved eminence in the painting circle in Japan.
Uemura Shoen was born in Kyoto. Her true name is Tsune. Her father died two months ago when she was born. Her family was a buckwheat noodle shop, and her mother brings her up alone. She liked paintings very much since she was a child, so she graduated from an elementary school, then she entered the first Japanese painting school in Kyoto. However, she thought it is more beneficial becoming a pupil of the honorable master than studying in the school given priority to a curriculum, and so she withdrew from school and became a pupil of Suzuki Shonen in 1888. She advanced remarkably, she was given a name "Shoen". A relative and circumference often criticized her such way of life. It was the best virtue for a woman to marry and protect home in the world of the Meiji era, and it was an object of the slander to be received education and to learn a painting. In 1890, "Shiki bijin-zu" which she exhibited at the third Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai exhibition was made purchase by Imperial Highness Prince of Wales Connaught, she received a honorable mention and people said �gthere is a genius girl in Kyoto�h. She changed her master in sequence, so that she could learn a new painting technique. She became a pupil of Takeuchi Seiho who was the central figure of the Kyoto painting circles when she was at 20 years old. She became pregnant at 27 years old. The partner is called the first teacher Suzuki Shonen, but Shoen did not talk about most because of he had a family. She chose the way of single mother and gave birth to the first son Uemura Shoko while bearing cold eyes of the world. He grew up and became a painter and was given the Order of Culture. The private life was any kind of situation, but she did not neglect the study of the painting from an early morning. Her technique of the painting was advancing by quantum leaps, and her artworks are highly estimated at the exhibition of each place. As she was active intensely, she was an object of envy and hatred to male painters. It was so terrible as to write later that it was a bloody battle same as the officer of the battlefield. She continued grasping a paintbrush in the conservative Japanese painting circles that avoided the society advance of the woman. The terrible incident occurred in 1904. Her artwork at exhibition was scribbled. It is said that she said to the staff, "Please continue exhibiting it. Let's show the reality". She was small, but her spiritual strength seemed to be steel. The women that were painted by her made all dignified and rose indignity, and the style of painting was grand. At the Bunten exhibition which was founded in 1907, she was selected and awarded every time. She was appointed to the judge of the Teiten, Shinbunten and Nitten, and she also exhibited at The New York International Exhibition.
She fought against the social prejudice bravely, however, she broke up with her younger lover in her forties, and she was in a slump. As a result she gave birth to the problematic artwork "Hono (flame)". It was the world of the grudge of the woman which was painted by her who continued drawing a clean painting of beauties. She said later, "I can not understand myself why I painted such the ferocious painting", and she did not exhibited at all for three years afterwards. However, ironically, she had gained a more reputation for this artwork. The painters who denied her till then were frightened at her terrible emotion.
In 1934, her mother who had supported her for all the time died. Two years later, she completed her best artwork "Jo No Mai". It was the ideal image of woman which was painted by woman. She was given the Order of Culture the first as a woman in 1948, and the next year she died at 74 years old. It is said that "No Shoen before Shoen, no Shoen after Shoen" in the modern painting circles in Japan.
She said "I think I have survived only with the temper, and I think also I have lived to paint".
