Japanese art and Isoda Koryusai: unique background and stunning art
Japanese art and Isoda Koryusai: unique background and stunning art
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The ukiyo-e art of Isoda Koryusai highlights the richness of Japanese culture and his unique style and background is a wonder to behold. Indeed, individuals like Koryusai and Nishikawa Sukenobu bless the ukiyo-e art world because of their different perspectives. After all, both individuals go against the grain when it applies to their respective backgrounds because Koryusai was born into an elite samurai household and Sukenobu was based in the imperial city of Kyoto.
Koryusai was born in 1735 but it wasn’t until the 1760s before he came active within the art world. However, from this period until his death in 1790 he produced stunning and elegant art pieces. The history of Koryusai is also vague in many areas and this fact creates even more mystery about this exquisite artist.
The most surprising aspect of the art that Koryusai produced is the fact that he isn’t recognized much higher within the ukiyo-e art world. After all, when viewing his best pieces of art it is clear that he enriched Japanese art. Also, for culture vultures then the majestic style of Koryusai and his main focus area enables people to delve into the mystery of Japanese high culture.
Koryusai clearly was enriched by his unusual artistic background because he was born into an elite samurai family and this fact gave him an unusual slant within the ukiyo-e art world. Therefore, it is to his credit that he never tried to conform and reduce areas of personal interest. This means that Koryusai is showing a glimpse of the world he lived and witnessed and from a cultural point of view this is most rewarding.
The reason why Koryusai entered the ukiyo-e art world is still debatable because some experts claim that it was based on his love of art. Others, however, point to the fact that financial difficulties must have impacted on him or that both forces were pulling away at his artistic soul. Yet, this is speculation and unless fresh evidence appears then it is best to remain neutral on this fact about his life. However, this also creates more mystery about Koryusai and clearly the richness of his art does all the talking because his sublime art pieces are a treasure.
The Confucian worldview was clearly understood by Koryusai and the code of samurai ethics meant that stratification and conservatism would have been his firm background during the early period of his life. This can be seen by many stunning art pieces that he produced and this fact means that something dramatic must have happened in either the late 1750s or early 1760s.
On the website Artelino (http://www.artelino.com) Dan McKee comments about the artistic influence upon Koryusai which is also disputed. Therefore, Dan McKee states that “There is no certain evidence to prove this fact, but it is often assumed that Koryusai began his printmaking work as a pupil of Harunobu Suzuki, whose style can indeed be seen in Koryusai’s early work, though also in the work of some other print artists (Shunsho, Shiba Kokan) whose connection to Harunobu seems even less direct. The same can be said for Koryusai’s early signature, Haruhiro, under which he designed his first prints at around the time of Harunobu’s demise (1769-1770), for use of the “haru” prefix may imply only an effort to appear in the Harunobu line, rather than an actual master-disciple relationship (ala Harushige).”
“Similarly, the inscription on one 1770 print, claiming it to be a design by Harunobu, for which Koryusai was asked to add color, could as easily represent an attempt to place Koryusai as the direct descendant of Harunobu for commercial reasons, to fill the void left by the death of the first nishiki-e master. It is notable that Koryusai states in this inscription that he “does not know Harunobu’s way but have finished the print with his [Koryusai's] own brushwork.”
Of course not all the art work of Koryusai was focused on the richness of Japanese culture but it is this area which stands out most strikingly. Therefore, the legacy of Koryusai should be recognized more highly within the ukiyo-e art world because he provides a glimpse into the world he knew. Also, the style of his art is extremely pleasing on the eye because Koryusai utilized many aspects of his personal background within his stunning art.
http://www.artelino.com/articles/isoda-koryusai.asp
http://www.robynbuntin.com/ukiyo-e/MorebyArtist.asp?ArtistID=353
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