, 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,'' No. 8847 (October 2, 1912). p. 195:
"Yōshū Chikanobu, who represented in '' nishiki-e'' the Great Interior of the Chiyoda Castle and was famous as a master of ''

bijin-ga 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 ...

,'' 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 Sakakibara ...

Takada domain , was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in Echigo Province, in the Hokuriku region of Honshū. The domain was centered at Takada Castle, located in what is now part of the city of Jōetsu i ...

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 Niig ...

. After the collapse of the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, he joined the

Shōgitai The Shōgitai (, "Manifest Righteousness Regiment") was an elite samurai shock infantry formation of the Tokugawa shogunate military formed in 1868 by the hatamoto and Hitotsubashi Gosankyō retainer in Zōshigaya, Edo (now Tokyo). The Shōg ...

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 ...

. After the defeat at Ueno, he fled to

Hakodate, Hokkaidō is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.83 ...

, 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 Me ...

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 Prov ...

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 The is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. The Kanō school of painting was the dominant style of painting from the late 15th century until the Meiji period which began in 1868, by which time the school had divided into many ...

of painting, but later switched to ''

ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk ta ...

'' and studied with a disciple of Keisai Eisen; and next joining the school of

Utagawa Kuniyoshi Utagawa Kuniyoshi ( ja, 歌川国芳, ; January 1, 1798 – April 14, 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al'' (2005). "Kuniyoshi" in He was ...

, 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 (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

Takada Domain , was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It was located in Echigo Province, in the Hokuriku region of Honshū. The domain was centered at Takada Castle, located in what is now part of the city of Jōetsu i ...

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 Niig ...

. After the collapse of the

, he joined the ''

'' and fought in the

. He joined Tokugawa loyalists in

, where he fought in the Battle of Hakodate at the

. He served under the leadership of

and

; 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

of painting; but his interest was drawn to ''

.'' 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 ''

'' 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 ye ...

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 is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

'' 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 ...

''. 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". ImoIncident ToyoharaChikanobu (2)

Chikanobu is a recognizable

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

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 early

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 was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Sats ...

. 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 The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the p ...

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,

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 is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Japan ...

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, Tokugawa shogunate, shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune planted many Cherry blossoms, cherry trees in the area and opened up the land for the Hanami, enjoyment of the "Ed ...

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'' (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 i ...

'' (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 wa ...

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

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)

Notes

Brooklyn Museum - A Seated Woman with a Lacquer Candle Stand - Toyohara Chikanobu

External links

Chikanobu and Yoshitoshi Woodblock Prints
in 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