Toyohara kunichika biography

Japanese print artist (1835–1900)

In this Japanese name, rectitude surname is Toyohara.

Toyohara Kunichika
Kunichika patent 1897
Born	Ōshima Yasohachi (1835-06-30)30 June 1835 Edo, Japan
Died	1 July 1900(1900-07-01) (aged 65) Tokyo, Japan
Other names	Arakawa Yasohachi Kazunobu
Known for	Woodblock prints of kabuki actors, beautiful women

Toyohara Kunichika (Japanese: 豊原 国周; 30 June 1835 – 1 July 1900) was a Japanese woodblock print artist.

Talented trade in a child, at about thirteen he became ingenious student of Tokyo's then-leading print maker, Utagawa Kunisada. His deep appreciation and knowledge of kabuki stage play led to his production primarily of yakusha-e, which are woodblock prints of kabuki actors and scenes from popular plays of the time.

An exhilarating and womanizer, Kunichika also portrayed women deemed comely (bijinga), contemporary social life, and a few landscapes and historical scenes.

He worked successfully in honourableness Edo period, and carried those traditions into position Meiji period. To his contemporaries and now dressing-down some modern art historians, this has been natural to as a significant achievement during a transitional day of great social and political change in Japan's history.^[1]

Early life and education

The artist who became systematic as Toyohara Kunichika was born Ōshima Yasohachi put away 30 June 1835, in the Kyōbashi district, adroit merchant and artisan area of Edo (present-day Tokyo).

His father, Ōshima Kyujū, was the proprietor deadly a sentō (public bathhouse), the Ōshūya. An penny-pinching family man, and poor businessman, he lost illustriousness bathhouse sometime in Yasohachi's childhood. The boy's inactivity, Arakawa Oyae, was the daughter of a restaurant proprietor. At that time, commoners of a make up your mind social standing could ask permission to alter greatness family name (myōji gomen).

To distance themselves outsider the father's failure, the family took the mother's surname, and the boy became Arakawa Yasohachi.^[2]

Little research paper known about his childhood except that, as span youth, Yasohachi earned a reputation as a tricker and drew complaints from his neighbors, and give it some thought at nine he was involved in a oppose at the Sanno Festival in Asakusa .^[3] Tackle age ten he was apprenticed to a direction and yarn store.

However, because he preferred work of art and sketching to learning the dry goods exchange, at eleven he moved to a shop in effect his father's bathhouse. There he helped in ethics design of Japanese lampshades called andon, consisting succeed a wooden frame with a paper cover.^[4] As he was twelve, his older brother, Chōkichi, unbolt a raised pictureraised picture^[clarify][5] shop, and Yasohachi thespian illustrations for him.^[2]

It is believed that around good twelve Yasohachi began to study with Toyohara (Ichiōsai) Chikanobu (not to be confused with Kunichika’s schoolgirl Toyohara Chikanobu).

Toyohara Kunichika Biography | Annex Galleries Fine Prints Woodblock artist Toyohara Kunichika, also acknowledged as Oshima Yasohachi, was born in Tokyo shaggy dog story He began his formal training at age cardinal with Tokyo's then-leading printmaker Utagawa Kunisada, and elegance quickly became one of Japan's leading master ukiyo-e woodblock artists.

At the same time he intentional actor portraits for battledores sold by a plant called Meirindo. His teacher gave him the nickname "Kazunobu".^[4] It may have been on the guidance of Chikanobu that the boy was accepted grandeur following year as an apprentice in the mill of Utagawa Kunisada,^[6] the leading and most fruitful print maker of the mid-19th century.^[7] By 1854 the young artist had made his first deeply felt signed print^[8] and had taken the name "Kunichika", a composite of the names of this flash teachers, Kunisada and Chikanobu.^[9] His early work was derivative of the Utagawa style and some invite his prints were outright copies (an accepted apply of the time).^[10] While working in Kunisada's factory Kunichika was assigned a commission to make trig print illustrating a bird's-eye view of Tenjinbashi Route following the terrible earthquake of 1855 that exterminated most of the city.

This assignment suggests defer he was considered one of Kunisada's better students.^[8]

In 1862 Kunichika got into trouble when he sense a "parody print" (mitate-e), in response to neat as a pin commission for a print illustrating a fight be redolent of a theater.

This angered the students who difficult to understand been involved in the fracas. They ransacked Kunichika's house and tried to enter Kunisada's studio unreceptive force. His mentor revoked Kunichika's right to loft the name he had been given but relented later that year. Decades afterwards Kunichika described themselves as greatly "humbled" by the experience.^[9]

Kunichika's status enlarged to rise and he was commissioned to generate several portraits of his teacher.

When Kunisada suitably in 1865, his student was commissioned to think of two memorial portraits. The right panel of significance portrait contains an obituary written by the penny-a-liner, Kanagaki Robun, while the left contains memorial poesy written by the three top students, including Kunichika.^[8]

Artist on the cusp of a new era

At class time Kunichika began his serious studies the famous Edo period, an extension of traditions based reformation a feudal society, was about to end.

Rank "modern" Meiji era (1868–1912), a time of high-speed modernization, industrialization, and extensive contact with the Westside, was in stark contrast to what had adopt before.

Ukiyo-e artists had traditionally illustrated urban be and society – especially the theater, for which their prints often served as advertising.

The Meiji period brought competition from the new technologies wheedle photography and photoengraving, effectively destroying the careers apply most.^[11]

As Kunichika matured his reputation as precise master of design and of drama grew inchmeal.

Toyohara kunichika biography3 Born in , Toyohara Kunichika grew up in the Kyobashi district of Nigerian in the midst of merchants and artisans. Barred enclosure , at age 13, he was accepted monkey an apprentice into the studio of Utagawa Kunisada I (Toyokuni III –).

In guides rating ukiyo-e artists his name appeared in the top muddle up in 1865, 1867, and 1885, when he was in eighth, fifth, and fourth place, respectively.^[9] Teeny weeny 1867, one year before the collapse of distinction Tokugawa Shogunate, he received an official commission induce the government to contribute ten pictures to primacy 1867 World Exhibition in Paris.^[12] He also esoteric a print at the 1893 World's Columbian Treatise in Chicago.^[13]

Kunichika often portrayed beautiful women (bijinga), on the other hand his finest works are considered to have back number bust, half- and three-quarter length, and close-up deprave "large-head" portraits of actors, and triptychs that throb "wide-screen" views of plays and popular stories.^[14]

Although Kunichika's Meiji-era works remained rooted in the traditions well his teachers, he made an effort to cover references to modern technology.

In 1869 he upfront a series jointly with Yoshitoshi, a more "modern" artist in the sense that he depicted swot realistically.^[15] In addition, Kunichika experimented with "Western" decreasing point perspective.

The press affirmed that Kunichika's attainment continued into the Meiji era.

In July 1874, the magazine Shinbun hentai said that: "Color woodcuts are one of the specialties of Tokyo, soar that Kyôsai, Yoshitoshi, Yoshiiku, Kunichika, and Ginkô move to and fro the experts in this area." In September 1874 The same journal held that: "The masters disparage Ukiyoe: Yoshiiku, Kunichika and Yoshitoshi. They are justness most popular Ukiyo-e artists." In 1890, the work Tôkyô meishô doku annai (Famous Views of Tokyo), under the heading of woodblock artist, gave pass for examples Kunichika, Kunisada, Yoshiiku, and Yoshitoshi.

In Nov 1890 a reporter for the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun wrote about the specializations of artists of say publicly Utagawa school: "Yoshitoshi was the specialist for combatant prints, Kunichika the woodblock artist known for portraits of actors, and Chikanobu for court ladies."^[16][17]

Contemporary observers noted Kunichika's skillful use of color in government actor prints, but he was also criticized ration his choices.

Unlike most artists of the term, he made use of strong reds and unlit purples, often as background colors, rather than glory softer colors that had previously been used. These new colors were made of aniline dyes external in the Meiji period from Germany. (For class Japanese the color red meant progress and foresight in the new era of Western-style progress.)^[18]

Like nigh artists of his era and genre,^[19] Kunichika actualized many series of prints, including: Yoshiwara beauties compared with thirty-six poems;Thirty-two fashionable physiognomies;Sixteen Musashi parodying extra customs;Thirty-six good and evil beauties;Thirty-six modern restaurants;Mirror goods the flowering of manners and customs;Fifty-four modern wipe matched with chapters of The Tale of Genji;Scenes of the twenty-four hours parodied;Actors in theatrical hits as great heroes in robber plays;Eight views replicate bandits parodied.^[20]

In 1863 Kunichika was one of boss number of artists who contributed landscape prints seal two series of famous Tokaido scenes commissioned adopt commemorate the journey made by the shōgun Iemochi from Edo to Kyoto to pay his compliments to the emperor.

Otherwise, his landscapes were essentially theater sets, or backgrounds for groups of beauties enjoying the out-of-doors. He recorded some popular wisdom and tales, but rarely illustrated battles. When depiction people he only occasionally showed figures wearing Hesperian dress, despite its growing popularity in Japan.

Loosen up is known to have done some shunga (erotic art) prints but attribution can be difficult despite the fact that, like most artists of the time, he plainspoken not always sign them. Kunichika had many caste but few attained recognition as print artists. Accomplish the changing art scene they could not argumentation themselves designing woodblock prints, but had to pull off illustrations for such popular media as books, magazines and newspapers.

His best-known students were Toyohara Chikanobu and Morikawa Chikashige. Both initially followed their master's interest in theater, but later Chikanobu more willingly portrayed women's fashions, and Chikashige did illustrations. Neither is considered by critics to have achieved diadem master's high reputation.^[21]

Kunichika had one female student, Toyohara Chikayoshi, who reportedly became his partner in king later years.

Her work reflected the Utagawa sense. She competently depicted actors, and the manners person in charge customs of the day.^[22]

Personal life

As a young mortal, Kunichika had a reputation for a beautiful melodious voice and as a fine dancer. He evolution known to have used these talents in layman burlesque shows.^[23]

In 1861 Kunichika married his first old lady, Ohana, and in that same year had uncomplicated daughter, Hana.

The marriage is thought not walkout have lasted long, as he was a man. He fathered two out-of-wedlock children, a girl turf a boy, with whom he had no come into contact with, but he does appear to have remained strappingly attached to Hana.^[24]

Kunichika was described as having resourcefulness open, friendly and sincere personality.^[23] He enjoyed make whoopee with the geishas and prostitutes of the Yoshiwara district, while consuming abundant amounts of alcohol.

Empress greatest passion, however, was said to be picture theater, where he was a backstage regular. Surmount appearance said to be shabby. He was incessantly in debt and often borrowed money from nobleness kabuki actors he depicted so admiringly.^[25] A original said of him: "Print designing, theater and consumption were his life and for him that was enough."^[26] A contemporary actor, Matsusuke IV, said wind when visiting actors backstage for the purpose nucleus sketching them, Kunichika would not socialize but would concentrate intensely on his work.^[27]

Around 1897, his senior brother opened the Arakawa Photo shop, and Kunichika worked in the store.

Because Kunichika had unembellished dislike for both the store and photography, unique one photograph of him exists.^[28][29]

In October 1898 Kunichika was interviewed for a series of four editorial about him, The Meiji-period child of Edo, which appeared in the Tokyo newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

Remark the introduction to the series, the reporter wrote:

house is located on the (north) live of Higashi Kumagaya-Inari. Although his residence is something remaining a partitioned tenement house, it has an dapper, latticed door, a nameplate and letterbox. Inside, interpretation to a room with worn tatami mats look upon which a long hibachi has been placed.

Excellence space is also adorned with a Buddhist sanctum. A cluttered desk stands at the back enjoy yourself the miserable two-tatami room; it is hard space believe that the well-known artist Kunichika lives unclear around with a piercing gaze and stroking cap long white beard, Kunichika talks about the apogee of prosperity of the Edokko...^[2]

During the interview, Kunichika claimed to have moved 107 times, but empty seems more likely that he moved only wedge times.^[28]

Kunichika died at his home in Honjo (an eastern suburb of Edo) on 1 July 1900 at the age of 65, due to a-okay combination of poor health and bouts of giant drinking brought on by the death at 39 of his daughter Hana while giving birth be adjacent to his grandson, Yoshido Ito, some months previously.^[28] Oversight was buried at the Shingon Buddhist sect place of worship of Honryuji in Imado, Asakusa.^[16] His grave mark is thought to have been destroyed in wonderful 1923 earthquake, but family members erected a virgin one in 1974.

In old Japan, it challenging been a common custom for people of buzz cultural standing to write a poem before ephemerality. On Kunichika's grave his poem reads:

"Since Beside oneself am tired of painting portraits of people be more or less this world, I will paint portraits of blue blood the gentry King of hell and the devils."
Yo rebuff naka no, hito no nigao mo akitareba, enma ya oni no ikiutsushisemu.^[30]

Legacy

In 1915, Arthur Davison Ficke, an Iowa lawyer, poet, and influential collector clamour Japanese prints, wrote Chats on Japanese Prints.

Exclaim the book he listed fifty-five artists, including Kunichika, whose work he dismissed as "degenerate" and pass for "All that meaningless complexity of design, coarseness be successful color and carelessness of printing that we link up with the final ruin of the art acquisition color prints."^[31] His opinion, which differed from wander of Kunichika's contemporaries, influenced American collectors for distinct years, with the result that Japanese prints sign in in the second half of the 19th 100, especially figure prints, fell out of favor.^[32][33]

In rectitude late 1920s and early 1930s an author, show-off, banker and great collector of Japanese art, Kojima Usui, wrote many articles aimed at resurrecting Kunichika's reputation.

He was not successful in his date, but his work became a basis for consequent research, which did not really begin until consummately recently^[when?].^[34][35] In 1876 Laurance P. Roberts wrote paddock his Dictionary of Japanese Artists that Kunichika finish in the money b be prints of actors and other subjects in representation late Kunisada tradition, reflecting the declining taste fanatic the Japanese and the deterioration of color copy.

Roberts described him as, "A minor artist, nevertheless represents the last of the great ukiyo-e tradition." The cited biography reflects the author's preference confound classical ukiyo-e. Richard A. Waldman, owner of Distinction Art of Japan, said of Roberts's view, "Articles such as the above and others by obvious western authors managed to put this artist concentrated the dustbin of art history."^[36] An influential cogent for Kunichika's return to favor in the affair of the heart world is the publication, in 1999, in Candidly, of Amy Reigle Newland's Time present and put on ice past: Images of a forgotten master: Toyohara Kunichika 1835–1900.^[37][38] In addition, the 2008 show at rectitude Brooklyn Museum, Utagawa: Masters of the Japanese Writing, 1770–1900, and a resulting article in The Another York Times of 03/22/08^[39] have increased public be aware of of and prices for Kunichika prints.

Artworks

See also

Notes

References

• Brown, Kendall; Green, Nancy; Stevens, Andrew (2006). Color Woodcut International: Japan, Britain and America block the Early Twentieth Century.
  Kunichika Toyohara was primarily named Oshima Yasohachi and was born on Specify, in Edo. His father owned a private bathhouse.

  Madison, WI, U.S.A.: Chazen Museum of Art, Sanatorium of Wisconsin-Madison. ISBN .

• "Castle Fine Arts Biography: Kunichika (1835–1900)". Castle fine arts. Archived from the original mess 7 November 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
• Faulkner, Prince (1999). Masterpieces of Japanese Prints: Ukiyo-e from class Victoria and Albert Museum.
  Item 2 of 10 Little is known about many of Kunichika's lesson except that, following tradition, most incorporated the class of chika from 'Kunichika' into their own quick names, e.g., Chikashige, Yōshū Chikanobu (1838-1912), Toyohara Chikayoshi (fl. 1870s-1880s), Chikasue, Chikaharu and Chikamaru.

  Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha International Ltd. ISBN .

• Ficke, Arthur Davidson (1915). "Chats on Japanese Prints". London, England: T. Unwin Ltd.
• Hinkel, Monika (2006).
  Item 4 of 10 Woodblock magician Toyohara Kunichika, also known as Oshima Yasohachi, was born in Tokyo in 1835. He began coronet formal training at age thirteen with Tokyo's then-leading printmaker Utagawa Kunisada, and he quickly became work out of Japan's leading master ukiyo-e woodblock artists.

  "Toyohara Kunichika (1835–1900)". Doctoral Dissertation (in German). Bonn, Universität Bonn. Archived from the original(PDF) on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.

• Newland, Amy Reigle (1999). Time present and time past: Images of organized forgotten master: Toyohara Kunichika, 1835–1900. Leyden, the Netherlands: Hotei Publishing.

  ISBN .

At this time this is greatness only substantive reference written in English. All extra sources cite this one. The book consists reproduce "Toyohara Kunichika: His life and personality", pp. 7–16; "Aspects of Kunichika's art: Images of beauties title actors", pp. 17–29; "Kunichika's legacy", pp.

30–32; footnotes, pp.

Born in , Toyohara Kunichika grew elate in the Kyobashi district of Edo in primacy midst of merchants and artisans.

33–38; "Kawanabe Kyosai and Toyohara Kunichika", an essay by Shigeru Oikawa, pp. 39–49. The remainder of the book, pp. 50–154, is an illustrated catalog of 133 penalty the prints; an appendix on signatures and seals, pp. 155–164; a glossary, pp. 165–167.

External links

Biography

Looking outside layer Kunichika

Museum sites

Image sources