was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of a

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese painter in the

nihonga ''Nihonga'' () is a Japanese style of painting that typically uses mineral pigments, and occasionally ink, together with other organic pigments on silk or paper. The term was coined during the Meiji period (1868–1912) to differentiate it from ...

school, active from Meiji through

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

Japan. His real name was Kawai Yoshisaburō.

Biography

Gyokudō was born in what is now Ichinomiya city,

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

, as the eldest son of a paper, ink and brush merchant. In the spring of 1887, he graduated from Gifu Jinji Kogakko Elementary School, and in September, with a letter of introduction from Aoki Senbashi, entered the school of Mochizuki Gyokusen in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, where he was given the name "Gyokusyu". He went to Kyoto in 1887 to study under Kōno Bairei of the Maruyama-Shijo school of painting. In 1890, when he exhibited his work at the Industrial Exposition, he changed his name to "Gyokudo" after Gyokusen's name Tama and his grandfather's name Chikudo. In 1896, he moved to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and he became the student of Hashimoto Gahō, of 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 era, Meiji period which began in 1868, by which time the school had divided i ...

. He also studied Western-style painting and developed a highly personal style, especially in the field of

landscape painting Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction in painting of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, trees, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a cohe ...

. Gyokudō is noted for his polychrome and occasionally monochrome works depicting the mountains and rivers of Japan in the four seasons, with humans and animals shown as part of the natural landscape. Among his representative works are ''Futsuka zuki'' (“The New Moon”), ''Yuku haru'' (“The Departing Spring”), ''Mine-no-yu'' (“Evening at the Mountain Top”), and ''Bosetsu'' (“Snow in the Evening”). In 1898, Gyokudō joined with Okakura Tenshin and Yokoyama Taikan to found the ''Nihon Bijutsuin'' ( Japan Fine Art Academy). In 1907, Gyokudo was selected as a judge for the first annual '' Bunten'' Exhibition. He became a teacher at the ''Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō'' (the forerunner of the

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music or is a school of art and music in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, crafts, inter ...

) in 1919. Received the region of Honor from the French government in 1931 and the Grand Officer Coulonne from the Emperor of Italy in June. In October 1933, he was awarded the First Class Honorary Medal of the Red Cross by the German government. In June 1935, he was appointed a member of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class, in November 1935. In 1952, Kenso-dong organized a three person exhibition of Gyokudo, Taikan and Ryuko. In 1957, Gyokudo developed heart asthma disease and recuperated, but the disease worsened again in early June and Gyokudo died on the 30th. In 1940, he was awarded the

Order of Culture The is a Japanese Order (decoration), order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japanese Art, Japan's art, Japanese Literature, literature, science, technolog ...

by the

Government of Japan The Government of Japan is the central government of Japan. It consists of legislative, executive (government), executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan. Japan is a unitary st ...

. Most of his works are preserved and displayed at the Gyokudo Art Museum, in

Ōme, Tokyo is a Cities of Japan, city located in the Western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 131,128, and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Ge ...

Major works

File:Futsuka Zuki by Kawai Gyokudō.jpg, ''New Moon'' (二日月, ''Futsuka zuki''), 1907.

National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo The , also known as MOMAT, is the foremost museum collecting and exhibiting modern Japanese art. The museum, in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, is known for its collection of 20th-century art and includes Western-style and ''Nihonga'' artists. It has a bra ...

. Parting Spring by Kawai Gyokudo (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) L.jpg, Left panel of the ''Parting Spring'' (行く春, ''Yuku Haru''), 1916. Important Cultural Property, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Parting Spring by Kawai Gyokudo (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) R.jpg, Right panel of the ''Parting Spring'' (行く春, ''Yuku Haru''), 1916. Important Cultural Property, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. *''Cormorant Fishing'', Color on Silk,

Meiji Period The was 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 colonizatio ...

, 1895, Yamatane Museum of Art
/ref> *''Ducks'', Color on Silk, Meiji Period, 1897,

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...

*''A Night Heron in Summer Rain'', Color on Silk, Meiji Period, 1899, *''Hills and Streams in Autumn'', Color on Silk, Meiji Period, 1906, Yamatane Museum of Art *''Red and White Plum Blossoms'', Color on Gold-Leafed Paper, Taishō Period, 1919, Gyokudō Art Museum *''Lingering Snow'', Color on Silk,

Shōwa Period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

, 1934, The

Japan Art Academy is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of ...

*''Autumn Rain'', Color on Silk, Shōwa Period, 1940,

*''After a Mountain Shower'', Color on Silk, Shōwa Period, 1943, Yamatane Museum of Art *''Young Ladies Planting Rice'', Color on Silk, Shōwa Period, 1945, Yamatane Museum of Art *''A Lady Arranging Flowers'', Color on Paper, Shōwa Period, 1929, Gyokudō Art Museum *''A Pair of Cranes on a Pine'', Color on Silk, Shōwa Period, 1942, Yamatane Museum of Art *''Bear'', Color on Paper, Shōwa Period, 1946, Gyokudō Art Museum

References

* Briessen, Fritz van. ''The Way of the Brush: Painting Techniques of China and Japan''. Tuttle (1999). * Conant, Ellen P., Rimer, J. Thomas, Owyoung, Stephen. ''Nihonga: Transcending the Past: Japanese-Style Painting, 1868-1968''. Weatherhill (1996). * Kimura, Ihee. ''Four Japanese painters: Taikan Yokoyama, Gyokudo Kawai, Shoen Uemura, Kiyokata Kaburaki'' (JPS picture books). Japan Photo Service (1939). ASIN: B000888WYA *https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/bukko/8857.html

External links

brief bio and worksHome page to Gyokudo Art Museum (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawai, Gyokudo 1873 births 1957 deaths Nihonga painters Recipients of the Legion of Honour People from Ichinomiya, Aichi 20th-century Japanese painters Imperial household artists