, better known to his contemporaries as ,
was a Japanese painter and printmaker who was widely regarded as a prolific
woodblock artist during the
Meiji epoch.
Names
Chikanobu signed his artwork . This was his . The artist's was ; and it was published in his obituary.
[See "Yōshū Chikanobu bituary" '']Miyako Shimbun
was the first Japanese daily newspaper to be published in an evening edition.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). "''Miyako Shimbun''" in It was established in Nagoya.
History
When the newspaper was founded in 1884, its name was ...
,'' No. 8847 (October 2, 1912). p. 195:
"Yōshū Chikanobu, who represented in '' nishiki-e'' the Great Interior of the Chiyoda Castle
is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo and is therefore also known as .
Tokugawa Ieyasu e ...
and was famous as a master of '' bijin-ga,'' had retired to Shimo-Ōsaki at the foot of Goten-yama five years ago and led an elegant life away from the world, but suffered from stomach cancer starting this past June, and finally died on the night of September 28th at the age of seventy-five.
His real name being Hashimoto Naoyoshi, he was a retainer of the Sakakibara clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan who rose to prominence during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate.Alpert, Georges. (1888). Before the Meiji Restoration, the clan served as ''daimyō'' of Takada Domain in Echigo Province. The Sakakibar ...
of Takada domain in Echigo province
was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...
. After the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate, he joined the Shōgitai and fought in the Battle of Ueno
The was a battle of the Boshin War, which occurred on July 4, 1868 (''Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month''), between the troops of the Shōgitai under Shibusawa Seiichirō and Amano Hachirō, and Imperial "Kangun" troops.
Prelude
Though the S ...
. After the defeat at Ueno, he fled to Hakodate, Hokkaidō, fought in the Battle of Hakodate at the Goryōkaku
(literally, "five-point fort") is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.
History
''Goryōkaku'' was designed in ...
star fort
A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...
under the leadership of Enomoto Takeaki
Viscount was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the Mei ...
and Ōtori Keisuke
was a Japanese military leader and diplomat.Perez, Louis G. (2013)"Ōtori Keisuke"in ''Japan at War: An Encyclopedia,'' p. 304.
Biography
Early life and education
Ōtori Keisuke was born in Akamatsu Village, in the Akō domain of Harima Pro ...
achieving fame for his bravery. But following the Shōgitai’s surrender, he was handed over to the authorities in the Takada domain. In the eighth year of Meiji, with the intention of making a living in the way that he was fond of, went to the capital and lived in Yushima-Tenjin town. He became an artist for the '' Kaishin Shimbun,'' and on the side, produced many nishiki-e pieces. Regarding his artistic background: when he was younger he studied the Kanō school of painting, but later switched to '' ukiyo-e'' and studied with a disciple of Keisai Eisen; and next joining the school of Utagawa Kuniyoshi , called himself Yoshitsuru. After Kuniyoshi’s death, he studied with Kunisada. Later he studied nigao-e with Toyohara Kunichika, and called himself Isshunsai Chikanobu. He also referred to himself as Yōshū.
Among his disciples were and as a painter of images on fans (''uchiwa-e''), and several others. Gyokuei produced Kajita Hanko. Since only Nobukazu now is in good health, there is no one to succeed to Chikanobu’s bijin-ga, and thus Edo-e, after the death of Kunichika, has perished with Chikanobu. It is most regrettable." — trans. by Kyoko Iriye Selden
Kyoko Iriye Selden (入江, 恭子; 1936–2013) was a Japanese scholar of Japanese language and literature and a translator.
Biography
Kyoko Iriye was born in Tokyo. Her father was a journalist reporting from Paris and Shanghai, and her mothe ...
(October 2, 1936, Tokyo-January 20, 2013, Ithaca), Senior Lecturer, Department of Asian Studies, Cornell University, ret'd.
Many of his earliest works were signed ; a small number of his early creations were simply signed . At least one triptych from 12 Meiji (1879) exists signed .
The portrait of the
Emperor Meiji
, also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
held by the British Museum is inscribed .
No works have surfaced that are signed either "Toyohara Chikanobu" or "Hashimoto Chikanobu".
Military career
Chikanobu was a retainer of the
Sakakibara clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan who rose to prominence during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate.Alpert, Georges. (1888). Before the Meiji Restoration, the clan served as ''daimyō'' of Takada Domain in Echigo Province. The Sakakibar ...
of
Takada Domain in
Echigo Province
was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kōzuke, Shinano, and Etchū Provinces. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata ...
. After the collapse of the
Tokugawa Shogunate, he joined the ''
Shōgitai'' and fought in the
Battle of Ueno
The was a battle of the Boshin War, which occurred on July 4, 1868 (''Meiji 1, 15th day of the 5th month''), between the troops of the Shōgitai under Shibusawa Seiichirō and Amano Hachirō, and Imperial "Kangun" troops.
Prelude
Though the S ...
.
He joined Tokugawa loyalists in
Hakodate, Hokkaidō, where he fought in the
Battle of Hakodate at the
Goryōkaku
(literally, "five-point fort") is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido. The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.
History
''Goryōkaku'' was designed in ...
star fort
A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...
. He served under the leadership of
Enomoto Takeaki
Viscount was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the Mei ...
and
Ōtori Keisuke
was a Japanese military leader and diplomat.Perez, Louis G. (2013)"Ōtori Keisuke"in ''Japan at War: An Encyclopedia,'' p. 304.
Biography
Early life and education
Ōtori Keisuke was born in Akamatsu Village, in the Akō domain of Harima Pro ...
; and he achieved fame for his bravery.
Following the Shōgitai's surrender, he was remanded along with others to the authorities in the Takada domain.
Artistic career
In 1875 (''
Meiji 8''), he decided to try to make a living as an artist. He travelled to Tokyo. He found work as an artist for the ''
Kaishin Shimbun.'' In addition, he produced
nishiki-e artworks.
In his younger days, he had studied the
Kanō school of painting; but his interest was drawn to ''
ukiyo-e.'' He studied with a disciple of
Keisai Eisen and then he joined the school of
Ichiyūsai Kuniyoshi; during this period, he called himself Yoshitsuru. After Kuniyoshi’s death, he studied with Kunisada. He also referred to himself as Yōshū.
Like many ''
ukiyo-e'' artists, Chikanobu turned his attention towards a great variety of subjects. His work ranged from
Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...
to depictions of the battlefields of his lifetime to women's fashions. As well as a number of the other artists of this period, he too portrayed ''
kabuki'' actors in character, and is well known for his impressions of the ''
mie'' (''
mise en scène'') of kabuki productions. Chikanobu was known as a master of ''
bijinga
is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women () in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre.
Definition
defines as a picture that simply "emphasizes the beauty of women", and the ''Shincho Encyclopedia of W ...
''.
images of beautiful women, and for illustrating changes in women's fashion, including both traditional and Western clothing. His work illustrated the changes in coiffures and make-up across time. For example, in Chikanobu's images in ''Mirror of Ages'' (1897), the hair styles of the ''
Tenmei'' era, 1781-1789 are distinguished from those of the ''
Keiō'' era, 1865-1867. His works capture the transition from the age of the samurai to Meiji modernity, the artistic chaos of the Meiji period exemplifying the concept of "furumekashii/imamekashii".
Chikanobu is a recognizable
Meiji period artist, but his subjects were sometimes drawn from earlier historical eras. For example, one print illustrates an incident during the
1855 Ansei Edo earthquake
The , was the third Ansei Great Earthquake, which occurred during the late-Edo period. It occurred after the 1854 Nankai earthquake, which took place about a year prior. The earthquake occurred at 22:00 local time on 11 November. It had an epi ...
. The early
Meiji period was marked by clashes between disputing samurai forces with differing views about ending Japan's self-imposed isolation and about the changing relationship between the Imperial court and the Tokugawa shogunate. He created a range of impressions and scenes of the
Satsuma Rebellion and
Saigō Takamori. Some of these prints illustrated the period of domestic unrest and other subjects of topical interest, including prints like the 1882 image of the
Imo Incident, also known as the at right.
The greatest number of Chikanobu's appeared in triptych format. These works documented the
First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. For example, the "Victory at Asan" was published with a contemporaneous account of the July 29, 1894 battle.
Among those influenced by Chikanobu were and .
Genres
Battle scenes
Examples of include:
*
*
Examples of scenes from this war include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu kagoshima1.jpg, A scene from the battle at Kagoshima
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kagoshima Yūfu Zoroi.jpg, An Assemblage of the Heroines of Kagoshima
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Hyūga no kuni nobeoka.jpg, The battle at Nobeoka
*
Examples of scenes from this war include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Chōsen Jihen.jpg, A sea-land battle from the Korean Uprising
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Korean Peace Negotiations.jpg, The Japanese Mission to the Koreans
Image:A News Report of Chnges in Korea.jpg, A battle scene from the Korean Incident
*
Examples of scenes from this war include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Sino-Japanese War.jpg, A battle scene from the First Sino-Japanese War
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Occupation of Pyongyang by our Troops.jpg, A battle scene from the First Sino-Japanese War
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu First Sino-Japanese War3.jpg, A battle scene from the First Sino-Japanese War
*
Examples of scenes from this war include:
Image:Russo-Japanese War 1904 Yalu River.jpg, A battle scene from the Russo-Japanese War
Warrior prints
Examples of include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Miura Daisuke Yoshiaki.jpg, Gempei Seisuiki series,Miura Daisuke Yoshiaki (1093-1181)
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kusunoki Masatsura.jpg, Azuma nishiki chūya kurabe series, Kusunoki Masatsura attacking an oni
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Takiyasha-hime.jpg, Setsu Gekka (1st series),Takiyasha-hime, daughter of Taira no Masakado
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Mount Komaki.jpg, Sakakibara Yasumasa and Toyotomi Hideyoshi on Mt. Komaki
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Tomoe Gozen.jpg, Tomoe Gozen with Uchida Ieyoshi and Hatakeyama no Shigetada
Beauty pictures
Examples of include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Azuma keshō.jpg, Azuma series, keshō
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Shin Bijin 12.jpg, Shin Bijin series, No. 12
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Setsu Gekka II 10.jpg, Setsu Gekka (second series), suimen no tsuki
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Gentō Shashin Kurabe 7.jpg, Gentō Shashin Kurabe series, Arashiyama
Image:Jid1.jpg, Jidai Kagami series, Kenmu nengō (era)
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu 6th month.jpg, azuma fūzoku nenjū gyōji series, 6th month
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Chikako.jpg, Kyōdō risshiki album No. 42 Chikako
Historical pictures
Examples of include:
Recent (Meiji era) history
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Scene of the Diet.jpg, A scene of the Japanese Diet
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu House of Peers.jpg, A Scene in the House of Peers
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu A meeting of the privy counsil.jpg, A scene of a meeting of the Privy Council
Ancient history
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Shiragi Saburo and Tokiaki.jpg, Nihon Rekishi Kyokun series – Lessons from Japan's History - Shiragi Saburō and Tokiaki
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Tajima no kami Norimasa.jpg, Nihon Rekishi Kyokun series – Lessons from Japan's History - Tajima no kami Norimasa
Image:Shogun-Hearing-in-Fukiage-by-Toyohara-Chikanobu-1889.png, Shogun hearing a lawsuit at Fukiage (of Edo Castle)
Famous places
Examples of include:
Yōshū Chikanobu Nikko Meisho.jpg, Nikko Mesho series, Hannya and Hoto Waterfalls
Yōshū Chikanobu Bijin on a boat ride.jpg, Kameido Tenjin Shrine
Portraits
Examples of include:
Image:EmperorMeiji.JPG, Emperor Meiji
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Saigō Takamori .jpg, Saigō Takamori
Enlightenment pictures
Examples of include:
Theatre scenes
Examples of include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kabuki 1.jpg, Kabuki scene
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kabuki 2.jpg, Kabuki scene
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu The Barrier Gate.jpg, Kuronushi attempting to cut down a cherry tree
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kabuki 3.jpg, Kabuki scene
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kabuki 4.jpg, Kabuki scene depicting a samurai of the Sanada carrying a cannon
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Kabuki 7.jpg, Kabuki scene
Others:
File:King of Persia(Iran).jpg, painting "Mirror of the statue of all the kings of the world" that depicts kings of the world in that time.
Memorial prints
Examples of include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Iwai Hanshiro VIII.jpg, Iwai Hanshiro VIII, 1829-1882
Image:146c11f.jpg, Iwai Hanshiro VIII
Women's pastimes
Examples of include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Azuma Hanami.jpg, Azuma kai series:Watching cherry blossoms fall (hanami)
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Songs of Enlightenment and Education.jpg, Kaika kyōiku mari uta series:teaching songs with koto and gekkin
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Shin Bijin No. 20.jpg, Shin bijin series:Practicing kanji
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Filial Piety.jpg, Nijūshi kō mitate e awase series:Weaving Tōei
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Setsu Gekka Series II Bonkei.jpg, Setsu gekka series II:creating bonseki
''Bonseki'' (, "tray rocks") is the ancient Japanese art of creating miniature landscapes on black trays using white sand, pebbles, and small rocks.
Small delicate tools are used in Bonseki such as feathers, small flax brooms, sifters, spoons ...
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Drapers.jpg, Azuma fūzoku fuku tsukushiseries:purchasing kimono cloth at the drapers
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu fugaku shū Clam diggers.jpg, Fugaku shū series:Women digging clams at the beach
Image:Gensei Kajin Shu by Yoshu Chikanobu 1890.png, Typical Meiji era pastimes
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Cha no yu.jpg, Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Ikebana.jpg, Japanese Flower Arranging Ikebana
Emperor Meiji pictures
Examples of Emperor Meiji relaxing include:
Image:Kaika Tenran no Zu.jpg, Emperor Meiji at a Flower Show
Image:Emperor_Meiji_Empress_Shoken_Prince_Yoshihito_Asukayama_Park_Sightseeing_by_Toyohara_Chikanobu.png, Emperor Meiji at Asukayama Park
is a public park in Kita, Tokyo, Japan.
History
In the early eighteenth century, shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune planted many cherry trees in the area and opened up the land for the enjoyment of the "Edokko" or citizens of Tokyo. The park was form ...
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Koki noryo no zu.jpg, Emperor Meiji enjoying the cool evening
Contrast pictures
Examples of include:
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu The Ox.jpg, Mitate jūni shi series The Sign of the Ox
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Gentō shashin kurabe Kanjinchō.jpg, Gentō shashin kurabe series Kanjinchō
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu Bell.jpg, Imayō tōkyō hakkei series Evening bell at Asakusa
Image:Yōshū Chikanobu ENSHI.jpg, Nijūshi Kō Mitate E Awase series The Deer Milker
Glorification of the Geisha
Examples of this genre include:
Formats
Like the majority of his contemporaries, he worked mostly in the
ōban tate-e format. There are quite a number of single panel series, as well as many other prints in this format which are not a part of any series.
He produced several series in the
ōban yoko-e format, which were usually then folded cross-wise to produce an album.
Although he is, perhaps, best known for his triptychs, single topics and series, two diptych series are known as well. There are, at least, three
polyptych prints known.
His signature may also be found in the line drawings and illustrations in a number of ''
ehon'' (絵本), which were mostly of a historical nature. In addition, there are fan prints ''
uchiwa-e
are a genre of Japanese woodblock print, which appear on rigid, paddle-shaped hand fans known as . Ovoid images matching the outline of were printed on rectangular sheets of rice paper, then cut along the margins and pasted onto a skeletal bam ...
'' (団扇絵), as well as number of sheets of ''
sugoroku
(literally 'double six') refers to two different forms of a Japanese board game: ''ban-sugoroku'' (盤双六, 'board-sugoroku') which is similar to western tables games like Backgammon, and ''e-sugoroku'' (絵双六, 'picture-sugoroku') which is ...
'' (すごろく) with his signature that still exist and at least three prints in the
''kakemono-e'' format were produced in his latter years.
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Hashimoto Toyohara,
OCLC
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
/
WorldCat encompasses roughly 300+ works in 300+ publications in 2 languages and 700+ library holdings
* (1878)
* (1878)
* (1879)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1880)
* (1881)
* (1881)
* (1882)
* (1888)
* (1888)
* by (1895)
See also
*
List of works by Toyohara Chikanobu
List of works by Toyohara Chikanobu includes artwork created over many decades and in a range of formats.
Details about the woodblock prints of Toyohara Chikanobu are provided below in a specific format:
*(1) the transliterated title employing Wik ...
*
List of ukiyo-e terms
*
War artist
Notes
Further reading
* Cavaye, Ronald; Paul Griffith; Akihiko Senda and Mansai Nomura. (2004). ''A Guide to the Japanese Stage: from Traditional to Cutting Edge.'' Tokyo: Kōdansha. ;
* Coats, Bruce; Kyoko Kurita; Joshua S. Mostow and Allen Hockley. (2006). ''Chikanobu: Modernity And Nostalgia in Japanese Prints''. Leiden: Hotei. ; ;
* Till, Barry. (2010). "Woodblock Prints of Meiji Japan (1868-1912): A View of History Though Art". Hong Kong: Arts of Asia. Vol. XL, no.4, pp. 76–98. ;
External links
Chikanobu and Yoshitoshi Woodblock Printsin the Claremont Colleges Digital Library
Chikanobu: The Artist's EyeUkiyo-e Prints by Toyohara ChikanobuBiography of Toyohara Chikanobu, ArtelinoBiography of Toyohara Chikanobu, Robyn Butin of HonoluluBiography of Toyohara Chikanobu, Ukiyo-e.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toyohara, Chikanobu
1838 births
1912 deaths
19th-century Japanese painters
20th-century Japanese painters
20th-century printmakers
Utagawa school
Fa:تویوهارا چیکانوبو