was a Japanese artist best known as a painter and a designer of

ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

woodblock prints Woodblock printing or block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later on paper. Each page or image is creat ...

. He was self-taught in art, won numerous national and international prizes, and was one of the earliest Japanese artists to win an international audience.

Biography

Gekkō was born Nakagami Masanosuke (名鏡正之助) in Kyōbashi Yazaemon-chō in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

(modern

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 ...

) in 1859. His father, tradesman Nakagami Seijirō (名鏡清次郎), died in 1876, and Gekkō took to work in a lantern shop in Kyōbashi Yumi-chō. Gekkō was self-taught in art and began decorating porcelain and rickshaws, and designing flyers for the pleasure quarters. His early style shows the influence of the painter

Kikuchi Yōsai , also known as Kikuchi Takeyasu and Kawahara Ryōhei, was a Japanese people, Japanese painter most famous for his monochrome portraits of historical figures. Biography The son of a samurai named Kawahara of Edo, he was adopted by a family ...

. Around 1881, he took the surname Ogata at the insistence of a descendant of the painter

Ogata Kōrin Ogata Kōrin (; 1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese landscape illustrator, lacquerer, painter, and textile designer of the Rinpa School. Kōrin is best known for his ''byōbu'' folding screens, such as '' Irises'' and '' Red and Whit ...

. He soon was designing prints and illustrating books and newspapers. In 1885, Gekkō exhibited in the Painting Appreciation Society, and he became acquainted with art scholars Ernest Fenellosa and

Okakura Kakuzō , also known as Okakura Tenshin , was a Japanese scholar and art critic who in the era of Meiji Restoration reform promoted a critical appreciation of traditional forms, customs and beliefs. Outside Japan, he is chiefly renowned for '' The Book ...

. In 1886, Gekkō produced the print series ''Gekkō Zuihitsu'' (, "''Gekkō’s Random Sketches"''). In 1888, he married an art student of his, Tai Kiku—his second marriage—and changed his family name to Tai. He was a judge in the , which he helped found in 1891. The

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

was the subject of a number of triptychs he designed in 1894–1895. From the 1890s, Gekkō won a number of national and international art prizes. He was one of the earliest Japanese artists to win international attention. At the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in Chicago in 1893, he won a prize for ' (, ''"Edo’s Sannō Festival"''), and in 1904, he won the Gold Prize for the series ' (, ''"One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji"'') at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

. His work was exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900 and at the Japan-British Exhibition in London in 1910. In 1898, at the Japan Art Association,

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

bought his painting ' (, ''"Night Attack of the Soga"''). He won third prize at the sixth in 1912. Gekkō died on 1 October 1920 in Shin-Ogawamachi in

Ushigome is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and a former ward (牛込区 ''Ushigome-ku'') in the now-defunct Tokyo City. The name Ushigome refers to a former cattle ranch in the area that was next to a horse ranch, Komagome . In 1947, when the 35 wards ...

Ward of Tokyo at age 61. His art names include Kagyōrō, Meikyōsai, Kiyū, and Rōsai. He had few students, the best-known of whom was

Kōgyo Tsukioka , sometimes called , (April 18, 1869 – February 25, 1927) was a Japanese artist of the Meiji period. He was a student and adopted son of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, and also studied with Ogata Gekkō. Although Kōgyo sometimes painted other subject ...

, the adopted son of Yoshitoshi.

Style

His work was originally closely based upon that of

; and he was inspired by

Hokusai , known mononymously as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. His woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'' includes the iconic print ''The Gr ...

, creating a series of one hundred prints of

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). "Ogata Gekkō" in ''Japan Encyclopedia,'' p. 737. However, he did develop his own style, with significant stylistic elements from ''

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 ...

''. Gekkō was among the artists whose artwork informed the Japanese populace about the progress of naval and land war known today as the

of 1894–1895. A number of Gekkō's war images were published in ''Seishin Bidan'' by Yokoyama Ryohachi. An impression of the Haiyang Island (Kaiyoto) Naval Battle in 1894 was prepared in a large-scale quadruptich format. Among the widely circulated Sino-Japanese triptych images of the war, which were created by Gekkō include: * ''Japanese Officers and Soldiers Fight Bravely at Fenghuangcheng'' * ''The Japanese First Army Advances Toward Mukden'' * ''The Japanese Navy Victorious Off Takushan'' * ''Captain Osawa and Six Others From the Warship Yaeyama Close in on Yungcheng Bay'' * ''Presenting a Portentous Eagle to the Emperor'' * ''Popular Viewing of the Captured Chinese Warship Chenyuen'' * ''Japanese and Chinese Dignitaries Accomplish Their Missions in Successfully Concluding a Peace Treaty''

Selected works

Gekkō's published work encompasses 46 works in 48 publications in 2 languages and 68 library holdings. WorldCat Identities 尾形月耕 1859–1920 Gekko, Ogata 1859-1920.
/ref> * 1905 – 夢の三郎 (''Yume no Saburō''
OCLC 229891974
* 1898 – 月耕画圃 (''Gekkō gaho''
国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション
* 1895 – 以呂波引月耕漫画 (''Irohabiki Gekkō manga''
OCLC 046354614
* 1885 – 新說小簾の月 (''Shinsetsu osu no tsuki''
OCLC 033798610

Gallery

File:Ogata Gekko - Ryu sho ten edit.jpg , A dragon ascends towards the heavens with Mount Fuji in the background in this 1897 ukiyo-e print from Ogata Gekkō's Views of Mount Fuji. File:Blacksmith_Munechika,_helped_by_a_fox_spirit,_forging_the_blade_Ko-Gitsune_Maru,_by_Ogata_Gekkō.jpg , The swordsmith Munechika being aided by a kitsune fox spirit, in a print by Gekkō. File:Yamato-Takeru-with-Sword-Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi-by-Ogata-Gekko.png, Prince

Yamato Takeru , originally , was a Japanese folk hero and semi-legendary prince of the imperial dynasty, son of Emperor Keikō, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan. The kanji spelling of his name varies: it appears in the ''Nihon Shoki'' ...

and his sword

Kusanagi no Tsurugi is a legendary Japanese sword and one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called , but its name was later changed to the more popular ("Grass-Cutting Sword"). In folklore, the sword represents the virtue of valor. Legends ...

. File:Emperor-Go-Daigo-by-Ogata-Gekko-1904.png,

Emperor Go-Daigo Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order o ...

, dreams of ghosts at his palace in Kasagiyama. File:Ogata Gekko General Major Odera Yasuzumi in the Battle of Weihaiwei.jpg , Japanese troops and General

Ōdera Yasuzumi was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army, and the highest ranking casualty on the Japanese side in the First Sino-Japanese War. Life and career Ōdera was born in Satsuma Domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture), as the second son ...

Attacking the Hundred Foot Cliff with All His Might during the 1895

Battle of Weihaiwei The Battle of Weihaiwei (Japanese: took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War in Weihai, Shandong Province, China, between the forces of Japan and Qing China. In early January 1895, the Japanese la ...

File:Brooklyn Museum - Woman's Customes and Manners - Ogata Gekko.jpg , Woman's Customes and Manners File:Brooklyn Museum - Odori Dancer - Ogata Gekko.jpg , Odori Dancer File:Brooklyn Museum - Print from Series "Women's Customs and Manners" - Ogata Gekko.jpg , From the series Women's Customs and Manners File:Gekko Wrestlers 1899.jpg , Sumo wrestlers, 1899 File:Horibe Yahei Kanamaru.jpg , Horibe Yahei Kanamura, ukiyo-e about the

Forty-seven rōnin The revenge of the , also known as the or Akō vendetta, was a historical event in Japan in which a band of ''rōnin'' (lordless samurai) avenged the death of their former master on 31 January 1703. The incident has since become legendary. I ...

File:Senba Saburobē Mitsutada.jpg , Senba Saburobe Mitsutada, ukiyo-e about the

File:Nogaku-In-the Noh-Theatre-by-Ogata-Gekko-1891.png, Nogaku, in the Noh theatre, 1891

References

Works cited

* * Keene, Donald; Anne Nishimura Morse; Frederic A Sharf and Louise E Virgin. (2001). ''Japan at the Dawn of the Modern Age: Woodblock Prints from the Meiji Era, 1868–1912''. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts. ;
OCLC 249920897
* Lane, Richard. (1978). ''Images from the Floating World, The Japanese Print''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
OCLC 5246796
* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). "Ogata Gekkō" in ''Japan Encyclopedia''. Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 48943301

External links

The catalogue raisonné for Ogata Gekko

Ogata Gekko - Ukiyo-e Search
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogata, Gekko Ukiyo-e artists 1859 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Japanese painters 20th-century Japanese painters 20th-century Japanese printmakers Burials at Zōshigaya Cemetery