Does anyone know anything about Japanese and Spanish art/artists?

[never cry wolf]

I inherited a series of 6 Japanese paintings of plants. The information on the paintings is all in Japanese but apparently my father wrote a letter to the artist and he wrote back, it is postmarked in 1971. He wrote the letter long hand and as near as I can make out his name is Michio Takahashi.

Googling that name gets me a Japanese cinematographer and I have not been able to find the right combination to filter down for artists. Now maybe it's because this guy is some unknown schlock, maybe he is the cinematographer or maybe I am misreading his script.

I also have an oil painting signed only "Pablo." The brief bio on the back of the painting from the place my dad bought it in 1970 say Pablo was born in 1916 in a small village in Spain and that he is an artist of wide acclaim and his work is in many private collection throughout Spain and Portugal. It is a street scene done in impressionistic style. My google turned up Spaniard Pablo Palazuelo born in 1916 but he was more abstract and was born in Madrid, unless maybe it was an early work.

Does anyone have a clue as to either of these artists or a link to where I may be able to do some more research or an expert I could ask?

Thnaks in advance for any help you may offer!