Kawakami Tōgai, originally Hiroshi (Japanese:川上冬崖; 22 July 1828, Nagano Prefecture - 3 May 1881,

Atami is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 36,865 in 21,593 households and a population density of 600 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Atami is located in the far ea ...

) was a Japanese painter; one of the first to work in the

yōga is a style of artistic painting in Japan, typically of Japanese subjects, themes, or landscapes, but using Western (European) artistic conventions, techniques, and materials. The term was coined in the Meiji period (1868–1912) to distingu ...

(Western) style.

Life and work

His birth name was Yamagishi Mannojō, but was later adopted by the Kawakamis; a family of the minor nobility. As a young man, he went to Edo (Tokyo) and studied painting with , a follower of the

Shijō school The , also known as the ''Maruyama–Shijō'' school, was a Japanese school of painting. History It was an offshoot school of the Maruyama school of Japanese painting founded by Maruyama Ōkyo, and his former student Matsumura Goshun in the ...

. He then found work at the

Bansho Shirabesho The ', or "Institute for the Study of Barbarian Books," was the Japanese institute charged with the translation and study of foreign books and publications in the late Edo Period. Origin The institute was founded in 1856 that catered to the sa ...

(roughly; Institute for the Study of Barbarian Books) where he translated books in Dutch that dealt with Western-style painting. He was still employed there in 1862 when it was renamed the Yōsho Shirabesho (Institute for the Study of Western books). After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

in 1868, he worked at the "South Department" of the Tokyo

Daigakkō is a word used in names of some post-secondary educational institutions in Japan. The National Defense Academy of Japan (''Bōei Daigakkō'') was established with École Polytechnique as its model. Most institutions in Japan that use "''daigakkō' ...

, which would eventually become the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

. He also worked for the Ministry of Culture and the

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. History Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to adminis ...

, where he did drafting and made charts. While studying

cartography Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an i ...

, he decided to open an art school at his own home in the

Shitaya is the name of a neighborhood in Taito, Tokyo, and a former ward (下谷区 ''Shitaya-ku'') in the now-defunct Tokyo City. The former ward encompassed 15 neighborhoods in the western half of the modern Taito ward, including Ueno, Yanaka and Aki ...

district, where he taught Western-style painting. He also wrote a textbook on the subject, although his own knowledge was drawn mostly from books. Among his notable students were

Takahashi Yuichi was a Japanese painter, noted for his pioneering work in developing the ''yōga'' (Western-style) art movement in late 19th-century Japanese painting.There were many Japanese painters who tried Western painting and Western style painting in the ...

, Koyama Shōtarō, Matsuoka Hisashi,

Kawamura Kiyoo (1852–1934) was a yōga artist in Meiji period, Meiji to Shōwa period, Shōwa Japan. Life Born in Edo in 1852, as a child he began to study under , before moving to Osaka prior to his grandfather's appointment as bugyō (magistrate). Cont ...

and . In addition to his paintings, he produced numerous ink drawings in the nanga style. Many critics consider these to be superior works. In his later years (after 1878), he worked for the map section at the

Ministry of the Army The , also known as the Ministry of War, was the cabinet-level ministry in the Empire of Japan charged with the administrative affairs of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). It existed from 1872 to 1945. History The Army Ministry was created in ...

. In 1881, there was a scandal involving secret army maps that had been given to the Chinese embassy. Although his subordinates were the guilty parties, he took full responsibility and committed suicide.

Sources

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage ( :ja:国立文化財機構), is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, ...

, ''Meiji no yōga – Meiji no toō gaka''.

Nihon Bijutsuin is a non-governmental artistic organization in Japan dedicated to ''Nihonga'' (Japanese style painting). The academy promotes the art of Nihonga through a biennial exhibition, the ''Inten'' Exhibition . History The Nihon Bijutsuin was founded b ...

, Vol. 350, 1995. * Tazawa, Yutaka: "Kawakami Tōgai". In: ''Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art''. Kodansha International, 1981. .

External links

{{Authority control 1828 births 1881 deaths Japanese painters Yōga painters People from Nagano Prefecture Painters who committed suicide 1880s suicides