Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Ogata Gekko was a very individualistic artist who had a rich style which was based on his upbringing.  This applies to mainly being self-taught but this can be over-played because his free spirit was from within. Also, times were changing very quickly during his lifetime therefore Ogata Gekko needed to transform himself in order to meet the changing nature of Japanese society and culture.  This article however is mainly focused on the images of Japanese women by Ogata Gekko during a rapidly changing Japan.  After all, Ogata Gekko witnessed the changing nature of Japan because he was born in 1859 and died in 1920.  Therefore, this amazing Japanese artist was only a small child during the final years of the Edo period and this reality means that he belongs to the dynamic period of Meiji (1868 to 1912) and the early liberal years of the Taisho era which began in 1912.

Without a shadow of a doubt Ogata Gekko and other artists were influenced by the inward changes taking place throughout Japan irrespective if they supported modernity or were traditionalists. Alongside this was new technology which also impacted greatly on the world of ukiyo-e. Therefore, elements of rigidity during the Edo period would soon be on the wane during his childhood. However, while this led to freedom for many, it also led to chaos for other Japanese nationals because of internal convulsions. These internal issues also led to conflicts throughout Northeast Asia and it must be remembered that geography is complex when describing this region.

After all, while Japan is deemed to be firmly in Asia it must be remembered that Japan’s closest neighbor is the Russian Federation which is often seen outside of Asia and belonging to a “European home.” In many ways, Japan’s political elite and dress sense in the Meiji and Taisho periods resemble a Western imperial power. Given this reality, the “sleeping Japan” of the Edo period was now an expanding power and China – which had been the backbone of Japanese cultural influence – was now seen negatively and open to exploitation. Therefore, China now viewed Japan to be hostile because this nation was one of many imperial powers which had designs on China’s wealth. The other nations being European powers and while America may not belong to the traditional imperial club, it is true to say that America also desired a foothold in China.

Artists were also caught between tradition and modernization alongside rapidly changing cultural influences from Europe.  The interaction was not one way because Japanese artists also influenced European artists. However, for artists like Ogata Gekko they were bound to be influenced by all this confusion and mayhem.

Natsume Kinnosuke, who lived between 1867 and 1916, sums up the cultural reality of Japan during this period of Japanese history. This applies to the fact that this important Japanese novelist was a composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry and a deep scholar of British literature.

Kobayashi Kiyochika who was born in 1847 was firmly within the traditional ukiyo-e orbit but this individual who died in 1915 changed alongside the changing nature of Japan.  He, like Ogata Gekko, understood the need to adapt while still preserving the best of Japanese traditions.

Richard Lane stated in Images from the Floating World, The Japanese Print, on page 193, that Kobayashi Kiyochika was “…the last important ukiyo-e master and the first noteworthy print artist of modern Japan… [or, perhaps] an anachronistic survival from an earlier age, a minor hero whose best efforts to adapt ukiyo-e to the new world of Meiji Japan were not quite enough.”

Ogata Gekko was part of this changing world and he would express this reality through his art.  Therefore, Ogata Gekko provides a glimpse into the cultural changes that were taking place in Japan during his lifetime.

In his images of Japanese women related to this article it is clear that you get a sense of ambition, identity and continuity alongside cultural changes.  The images show Japanese women looking elegant, refined and clearly the embroidery and color schemes show a stunning richness. Of course these images will mean different things to each individual and my own interpretation is that it shows a confident Japan and women coming out from the shadows.

The onrushing of change is clearly happening but at the same time the exquisite nature of the past is being preserved.  Ogata Gekko is therefore expressing the richness of design, fashion and embroidery during this period in Japan. Also, the females in his images show confidence and a real zest for life within a natural simplicity despite all the social upheavals caused by modernization. Therefore, the real power in these images, I believe, applies to simplicity and how space, time, cultural richness and modern Japanese women were being portrayed. Indeed, the ideal image in a sense can still be seen in modern Japan when ladies dress in traditional styles. This can be seen clearly because a lot of thought, high quality materials, color schemes and other important areas are connecting with the images which Ogata Gekko is showing.

Of course the cultural context is very different alongside the huge time difference. Also, despite these images not focusing on the political and working reality of Japan during the Meiji and Taisho period; they do highlight a culture which is confident, stylish but within the traditions of Japan. This reality means that you can sense a political angle if you look hard enough despite this being distant and hidden by the natural feel of the images produced by Ogata Gekko.

If you think about Coming of Age Day for Japanese ladies in modern Japan then all the symbolic images of tradition can be seen by stunning clothes which show the richness of Japanese tradition.  Therefore, just like the images by Ogata Gekko, you can see an ideal beauty within the Japanese psyche and while this form of dress is preserved for special occasions in modern Japan, you can still feel the connection of the past and how tradition is important.

Ogata Gekko expresses this elegantly and with a passion.

http://www.ogatagekko.net/

http://www.ogatagekko.net/BMA.html – Stunning images from this website

http://www.ogatagekko.net/FFZ.html – Fantastic set of images which show the grace of Ogata Gekko

http://shogungallery.com/index.php?cPath=21_24_153

http://woodblockprint.com.au/44.html

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

By toshidama

There is a long tradition of puppetry in Japan that stretches back to the seventeenth century. Puppet theatre predates kabuki theatre and informed much of the style, dramas and conventions that kabukiadopted and made its own. Not only does puppet theatre (bunraku) have an important place in Japanese culture but so do its close relatives: the extraordinary lifelike tableaux of life size dolls, called Iki-Ningyo, that were the craze in Edo Japan in the nineteenth century. These staggeringly naturalistic creations are pictured in woodblock prints by Kuniyoshi and other ukiyo artists, although in most cases there is little way of telling that the figures acting out popular melodramas are in fact not human.

Traditional Japanese puppetry requires three active participants: the puppeteers, dressed in black robes identifiable on ukiyo prints by the mysterious black veils over their faces; the storytellers who narrated stories of modern melodrama and tragedy or else legends of heroic samurai; and the shamisen players – the shamisen being a plucked, stringed instrument like a long double bass. Bunraku reached its peak of sophistication in the coming together of these elements and the technological advances of the puppets themselves. These became larger in the eighteenth century and required three puppeteers to operate them. The heads were exquisitely and realistically carved, often with moveable features, elaborate costumes and articulated fingers and thumbs. Typically the stage of a bunraku performance is wide and narrow with the puppeteers quite visible; as in the kabuki theatre, there would be costume and scene changes and also head changes to some puppets to show aging or dramatic changes in expression. The puppeteers were highly skilled taking up to ten years to master the complex and lifelike movements. The bunraku plays really got going under the writing skills of the great playwright Chikamatsu  (1653 – 1724). His domestic dramas that brilliantly captured the loves, lives and often suicides of contemporary Edo people tended to be more popular than the conventional epic dramas and so began the long tradition of scripts passing back and forth between the puppet theatre and the kabuki theatre. Inevitably with the phenomenal rise of kabuki  in the nineteenth century, bunraku was marginalised and finally found a specialist home in Osaka.

The figures were modelled with absolute attention to character and realism, from clothing to artefacts, as in these wrestling men to the left.  The performances proved so massively popular that they were quickly followed by outlandish tableaux of exotic figures (pictured above by Kuniyoshi) which showed what people of other countries might look like -  incidentally, this gives a good idea of how insular and isolated the Japanese were at this time. Perhaps more common were lifelike representations of popular heroes and men and women of courage, disaster, suicide and thwarted love. The print below by Kunisada shows the housewife Mayazumi who contributed to the disaster relief fund of one of Edo’s many natural disasters. These figures with their glass eyes and individually set human hairs of ordinary people living their lives were not only popular in Japan; they were widely exported to the big international exhibitions all over the world. Iki-ningyo became one of the early means for which Europe and America viewed the newly opened Japan. Sadly not many of these delicate sculptures survive but there is an interesting account of the ongoing restoration of one of them at the Victoria & Albert Museum London here.

Like kabuki, the bunraku puppet theatre and the iki-ningyo died out during the period of Meiji modernisation in the late nineteenth century. Advanced technologies including film and photography became more popular and these extraordinary art forms died out. Japanese fascination for mimesis and technical excellence has continued however. The video below shows a contemporary automaton maker from Japan, continuing his family’s traditions of making extraordinary working models of people shooting arrows or drawing calligraphy for example. The incredible expertise that is used is in a direct tradition from the tableaux of Edo Japan in the previous two centuries.

To bring this tradition right up to date there are of course the contemporary Japanese sex dolls and companion dolls which although bleaker in their intended use, nevertheless retain the same demanding skills of realism and likeness that has been a Japanese obsession for so long. If you get the chance, look out for Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s 2009 film Air-Doll which tells the story of a man falling in love with his living doll and the doll subsequently coming to life. Using silicone and miniaturized motors instead of gofun and papier-mache, current Japanese robot and doll technology remains outstanding and continues to push the limits of art’s ability to mimic nature.

More Information about TOSHIDAMA GALLERY 

https://twitter.com/Toshidama

Please visit http://toshidama.wordpress.com and http://toshidama.blogspot.jp/ for more articles and information. 

Please visit http://toshidama-japanese-prints.com/  -   On our site you will see a wonderful selection of Japanese woodblock prints for sale. Ukiyo-e (the Japanese name for woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th centuries) are beautiful, collectible and a sound financial investment.

http://toshidama.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/mimesis-bunraku-puppets-and-living-dolls/

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) adored Japanese ukiyo-e and many famous international artists also fell in love with this art form. Toulouse-Lautrec and his lifestyle would certainly have fit in well with the environment of Yoshiwara in Tokyo, which is famous for prostitution. Indeed, several ukiyo-e artists depicted scenes in this famous district including Hiroshige and Utamaro. Therefore, Toulouse-Lautrec would have felt like being “home from home” because Yoshiwara and Montmartre shared many common features in the past.

Rene Princeteau gave art lessons to Toulouse-Lautrec when he was young and the background of his family is one of wealth. Indeed, he was born into an aristocratic family but tragedy impinged on Toulouse-Lautrec when he was a teenager because he broke both legs. The severity of the accidents meant that his legs stopped growing and this created “many internal demons.” This is based on the fact that his body continued to develop like normal therefore throughout his short life he could never fully come to terms with this situation.

The artistic turning point for Toulouse-Lautrec came in 1882 because he went to Paris in order to study conventional art. He soon met important artists like Vincent Van Gogh and the art of Edgar Degas inspired him greatly in this period. Therefore, the lore of Impressionist art enticed him greatly and because of this he gave up his studies in conventional art.

Toulouse-Lautrec who was born in the south of France now found himself in Montmartre in Paris. The environment was completely different because this area had a buzzing nightlife across the whole spectrum. This applies to cabarets, restaurants, dancing clubs with sexual connotations, cafes, brothels, and other areas of life.

The trappings of this new environment enticed Toulouse-Lautrec because he soon joined the bohemian community. During the evening period he would drink and natter with friends. However, despite enjoying himself Toulouse-Lautrec would also draw sketches and then work on altering these by turning them into lithographs and paintings. This became most rewarding for Toulouse-Lautrec because the environment created passion, innovation, and ideas, which were then expressed through his artwork.

Dieter Wanczura, www.artelino.com, comments that “The lithographs of Lautrec show the famous personalities of the French Belle Epoque. Lautrec knew them all personally- singers and dancers like Yvette Guilbert, May Belfort, Jane Avril or the poet Aristide Bruant. Many of these lithographs were commissioned by these artists for posters or theater billboards or as illustrations for magazines.”

Dieter Wanczura further comments that “The impressionists saw Ukiyo-e art (Japanese woodblock prints) and were impressed. And like so many other artists of the late nineteenth century, Lautrec had started collecting Japanese art. At that time, everything Japanese was en vogue – very fashionable.”

“Japanese printmaking had a very pervasive influence on his style. For Toulouse Lautrec movement and forms were important. His compositions, unusual perspectives and the use of large areas of flat color are undoubtedly inspired by Japanese woodblock prints.”

Western art impacted on Japanese art in the same period and likewise the Paris scene was awash with ukiyo-e prints. Therefore, new ideas were going in both directions but cultural differences meant that aspects of the cultural settings were very different. Also, individual artists, irrespective of nationality, had unique aspects which applied to their respective thought patterns and upbringings.

Artists like Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas, and many others, were influenced by Japonisme (Japonism). However, Japonisme was based on the eye and not the concept or rich traditions which had evolved in Japan. Also, ukiyo-e is extremely broad when it comes to subjects that were covered and individual artists had their own unique styles and ways. Yet despite this, Japonisme certainly inspired many artists and for Toulouse-Lautrec ukiyo-e was like Montmartre. This applies to opening-up a new world of art and thought patterns which would enhance his creativity and style.

If you visit that Van Gogh (www.vangoghgallery.com) Gallery website it is stated that “Japanese art, especially Japanese woodcuts, became a great influence on Van Gogh. When Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886 he was introduced to impressionism and also explored Japonism. Van Gogh admired the bold designs, intense colors, and flat areas of pure color and he also appreciated the elegant and simple lines.”

It is abundantly clear that Toulouse-Lautrec would fully understand the words of Van Gogh because he was also transformed in Paris. In another article I wrote about Japanese art I comment that “Ukiyo-e and western art went in both directions but the initial contact period will have been based on a mirror which can’t fully show the complexion of the individual because of all the steam. Irrespective of this, it is clear that both traditions led to new creativity.”

Sadly, for Toulouse-Lautrec, the lifestyle that altered his artistic path in Paris also became self destructive. Therefore, alcohol abuse and other negative areas all climaxed in his early death at the age of 36. In many ways Toulouse-Lautrec always had “two worlds which were pulling in opposite directions.” The first world applies to coming from a wealthy family but having poor health for the majority of his life. While the second world applies to being extremely creative because of the environment of Paris but the same environment led to his early death based on alcohol abuse and other factors.

Irrespective of everything, Toulouse-Lautrec leaves a lasting legacy because of the richness of his art and he also opens up the world of Montmartre.

http://www.artelino.com/articles/toulouse_lautrec.asp

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

By toshidama

In this case not necessarily the physical body – I’m thinking here of the cultural body and how that relates to the people. When we look at the extraordinary corpus of Japanese woodblock prints from the nineteenth century we are struck firstly by its hermeticism. This is a sealed culture (literally, until the 1850’s), and one where there existed a complete set of cultural values, mythologies and beliefs further into the modern age than with any other comparable modern culture. This floating world, balanced for so many decades on the cusp of magic and technology reveals the visible disintegration of the body (as culture) and the mind (the feelings) of the people.

The unique isolation of Japan in the early modern world allows us an insight into the disjuncture between life and spirit in western cultures. Japan’s intrinsic culture and belief – like Roman and pre-christian beliefs in the west was pantheistic. The Japanese believed that all things – objects, the natural world, buildings, villages – were invested with kami. Kami is a complex idea, the word is both noun and adjective and as a noun means a powerful being like a god or deity. As an adjective, kami might translate as holy or mystical – mysterious or otherworldly. For some people the term might just mean magic or magical. This mysterious phenomenon underpins every aspect of Japanese culture and explains many of the ritualistic practices of the Japanese way of life, but also the untrammelled superstition that runs through every myth, folktale and unofficial history of people and events in Japanese history. Without an understanding of kami, the meaning of ukiyo prints, of kabuki plays and of the iconography of Japanese art is lost or hidden. There is not the space here to begin to classify the orders of kami let alone their countless manifestations. Because the beliefs of Japanese religion – both Shinto and to a lesser extent Buddhist – are evolved rather than revealed (that is, revealed by a prophet, as in Christianity or Islam), the classification of hierarchies can be confusing and conflicting. Deities may for example have less kami, (and therefore influence) than mortals who have achieved mythological status over time or through the influence of sects, shrines, folktales or Imperial influence.

A good example of this is the Empress Jingo. Jingo (Jingu) is certainly a real historical figure but is imbued with the attributes of a goddess and famed for her conquest of parts of Korea in the 3rd century. Having fallen pregnant, she is said to have tied a girdle of stones to her waist and delayed the birth of her son by three years. In the case of Jingo we can see how fact and mythology become contained within the same myth. These fantastical stories, common to nearly every well known historical figure have become woven into the fabric of myth and magic, creating inseparable distinctions between fact and fiction. Less outlandish might be the very real and well documented, 12th century samurai warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune has parallels with the English Folk hero Robin Hood; and his is a tragic and very famous story in Japan. His father was persecuted by the rival Taira Clan and Yoshitsune was brought up in a monastery. Legend has it that he was then taught the secrets of fighting by Tengu(mythical forest creatures) before taking up rebellion against his father’s old enemies. Yoshitsune is usually pictured fighting the warrior monk Benkei at Gojo Bridge. Benkei, known as a phenomenally strong man and warrior, has secured the bridge with the intention of relieving 1000 samurai of their swords. Yoshitsune is his 1000th victim. Yoshitsune, though slight, defeats the giant man using Tengu fighting skills. Benkei becomes his loyal protector and between them they lead an armed rebellion against the Taira, establishing Yoshitsune’s brother as the first national Shogun.

In Yoshitsune’s legend there is historical fact, well attested by contemporary accounts; tremendous exaggeration – his famous eight boat leap, his fight with Benkei; and outright mythology – his education with the mythical forest creatures the tengu. Yoshitsune’s story is typical of the fabric of Japanese folk history and one that would have been very familiar with ordinary, superstitious Japanese. Ukiyo prints further embellished and reinforced the more colourful episodes of these histories with often lurid and miraculous scenes of fights with gigantic spiders, winged tengu, disembodied and gigantic heads of demons and terrifying monsters of the sea and forest. The religious belief in ghosts, demons and goblins has its roots in Chinese Daoism. The Japanese co-opted many of the characteristics of Daoist superstition into their own creation myths and to fill otherwise dull episodes in the lives of important figures. Hence there are numerous accounts of warrior heroes fighting with tengu (forest goblins), oni(wild demons) and kappa (water devils) – these Chinese characters easily combining with the indigenous Shinto beliefs. As memories of the ancient past diminished, the popular superstition of more recent possessions and hauntings came to dominate popular culture and entered into the mainstream of woodblock prints and kabuki theatre.

It was not only heroes and magicians that preoccupied the Japanese populace: perhaps more immediate and more pressing were the kami associated with animals, place and objects, a powerful superstition that penetrates right to the modern age. Nearly every indigenous animal (and some that are not native) is associated with magical powers, either directly or indirectly. The most powerful are also associated with the Chinese zodiac. Special superstitions surround the fox, the hare and the badger. The most confusing of these is the fox, often seen in Japanese woodblock prints and on its own associated with magic, good, evil, deceit and shape shifting. The fox appears in some of the great art of Japan, as in Hiroshige’s haunting and masterful New Year’s Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Oji – here associated with marsh gas fires thought to presage magical events. The fox in Japanese mythology can be immensely wise, acquiring nine tails by the end of its long life but also assuming the shape of travellers on the road and of beautiful and seductive women.

If all this were not enough to worry about, objects could also take on malevolent and mysterious lives to harass the innocent or the unwary. In Japanese prints vengeful spirits can occupy hanging lanterns or appear as great skulls in the snowy landscape. Even umbrellas  were invested with their own soul at a certain age. These Tsukumogami, (Kami of tool) included any object of use that was more than 100 years old. This 10th century folk myth was given greater credence after it was co-opted by the proselytising sect of Shingon Buddhism and persists to this day in popular culture and quaint ceremonies carried out to console lost or damaged household objects.

Belief in Kami, in magic, in the supernatural has animated Japanese art for centuries. In the work of Kuniyoshi for example, his outstanding imaginative use of these myths contributed to his phenomenal success and the richness and vibrancy of his most arresting images (see top of page). So too in the work of his most gifted pupil Yoshitoshi. The print illustrated left of Hakamadare Yasasuke and Kidomaru Fighting with Magic from 1887 is one of the finest of Yoshitoshi’s magical subjects. Conforming to the tradition of mortals with exceptional Kami, it illustrates a follower of the 10th century warlord Minamoto no Yorimitsu, fighting with what might be another aspect of himself by use of supernatural means: the upper figure transforming into a gigantic snake, the lower meanwhile invoking a cloud of  tengu through incantation. The print has everything required of a folk history – magical creatures, sorcerers, historic characters, demons, terror and kami. This print was made twenty years after the great Japanese leap into the modern world, yet it would have been clearly understood by the large audience that it was designed for. Japanese culture was embedded in the natural world, in natural magic. This animism was also embedded in its official and Imperial history and in the official religions of Buddhism and Shinto. The distinctions that we habitually make between the real and the imagined simply did not exist in nineteenth century Japan. Thought, action and phenomena were intimately connected with the individual, and with their conscience and their contract with culture and society. Commerce, capitalism and communications severed this bond between town and country, between art (in its broadest sense) and life. What replaced this evolved belief system appears to be panic, alienation and industrialisation. Happily, these myths linger on in attenuated form. Casual research of Japanese mythology will these days lead to any number of manga and anime sites where the hybrid descendants of Yoshitsune, Benkei, Hideyoshi and Kidomaru are still wreaking magic and evil in the settings of junior high school and downtown Tokyo.

More Information about TOSHIDAMA GALLERY 

https://twitter.com/Toshidama

Please visit http://toshidama.wordpress.com for more articles and information. 

Please visit http://toshidama-japanese-prints.com/  -   On our site you will see a wonderful selection of Japanese woodblock prints for sale. Ukiyo-e (the Japanese name for woodblock prints of the 18th and 19th centuries) are beautiful, collectible and a sound financial investment.

http://toshidama.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/magic-in-japan-the-body-of-the-people/

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times 

Claude Monet was very important within French Impressionism and despite new artistic movements like Cubism and Fauvism altering the artistic landscape, he remained firmly committed to Impressionist art. Another major art theme which would shape Claude Monet was Japanese ukiyo-e because he was smitten by this art form when he witnessed it with his own eyes. Therefore, Claude Monet utilized these two powerful art movements and the upshot of this was stunning fresh art pieces which remain etched within the memory.

The Impressionist art movement altered the artistic world dramatically because this art form created a new energy. However, for Claude Monet, and others, Impressionism was also a philosophy which embedded new ideas and how the world was viewed from different perspectives.

Claude Monet was born in 1840 in Paris and died in 1926. Throughout his long life he created extremely stunning art pieces and Claude Monet is also internationally admired. From an early age Claude Monet adored art and in the early period he took lessons from Jacques-Francois Ochard. However, his early mentor who taught him about using oil paints was Eugene Boudin, a fellow artist, whom he met when still a teenager. Claude Monet and Eugene Boudin also benefited from the influence of Johan Barthold Jongkind.

The year 1857 was very dramatic and full of sadness for Claude Monet because his mother passed away. From this period to the early 1860′s he witnessed many highs and lows because other family members were opposed to his strong focus on art. In the early 1860′s he served in the French army in Algeria and was meant to have stayed for seven years. However, after suffering from typhoid fever he was allowed to leave after two years because of the actions of his aunt and the reported prompting of Johan Barthold Jongkind.

Claude Monet in 1862 could once more fully concentrate on art but he wasn’t interested in following traditional art. He now became a student under Charles Gleyre in the dynamic city of Paris. In time he would meet powerful artists like Alfred Sisley, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Frederic Bazille. These artists were focused on new approaches to art and in time the Impressionist movement would radically alter the artistic landscape. Therefore, because of these individuals and others who were dedicated to new artistic concepts, a rich flow of art would galvanize the art world which remains vibrant today.

The 1870′s was a  period of change for the people of France because the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 and the revolutionary fervor which gripped Paris, led to many upheavals. During the same period Claude Monet was touched by Japanese print making called ukiyo-e. This love affair would stay with him for the rest of his life. However, the death of his wife from tuberculosis in 1879 after several years of illness shattered Claude Monet because he doted on Camille Doncieux.

Turning back to the impact of Japanese art on Claude Monet the writer Don Morrison, Time Magazine, comments in his article (Monet’s Love Affair with Japanese Art) that “One day in 1871, legend has it, a French artist named Claude Monet walked into a food shop in Amsterdam, where he had gone to escape the Prussian siege of Paris. There he spotted some Japanese prints being used as wrapping paper. He was so taken by the engravings that he bought one on the spot. The purchase changed his life — and the history of Western art.”

“Monet went on to collect 231 Japanese prints, which greatly influenced his work and that of other practitioners of Impressionism, the movement he helped create. Under the new Meiji Emperor, Japan in the 1870s was just opening to the outside world after centuries of isolation. Japanese handicrafts were flooding into European department stores and art galleries. Japonisme, a fascination with all things Japanese, was soon the rage among French intellectuals and artists, among them Vincent van Gogh, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro and the young Monet. Perhaps for that reason Impressionism caught on early in Japan and remains ferociously popular there.”

While it is known that Claude Monet adored ukiyo-e you still have major debates about how Japanese prints influenced him personally. This topic is still up in the air because many art experts have wide differences of opinions related to this issue.

On the following website (http://www.intermonet.com/japan/) it is stated that “Art historians do not agree about this point: was Monet really under Japanese influence, or did he seek confirmations of his own research in Eastern art?”

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“However, an attentive eye can establish interesting connections. The influence of the prints on Monet’s art can be noted in the subjects he chose, in the composition, in light……But Monet knew how to be inspired without borrowing. His paintings diverge, from the prints by many aspects. The Japanese artists liked to feature the anecdotic or dramatic moments, Monet concentrated on light, which was the very subject of the canvas – the object was no more than (a) medium to convey the plays of light.”

Art historians can either play up or play down the influence of ukiyo-e within the art of Claude Monet. However, he was clearly charmed by the ukiyo-e of individuals like Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro. This isn’t open to debate because not only did Claude Monet buy vast amounts of ukiyo-e art prints but he also created a Japanese garden in his cherished home. He and many other important Impressionists were clearly inspired by many aspects of ukiyo-e.

Despite this the cultural dimension could never be bridged because of different thought patterns and factors behind both respective art movements. However, the richness of ukiyo-e and the freshness of this style did reinvigorate many artists in Europe and North America. Therefore, while the degree of influence may vary to respective artists who adored ukiyo-e, it is clear that new artistic concepts within ukiyo-e did inspire new thinking within many Impressionists.

Don Morrison comments that “Perhaps the greatest gift Japan gave Monet, and Impressionism, was an incandescent obsession with getting the play of light and shadow, the balance of colors and the curve of a line, just right — not the way it is in reality, but the way it looks in the artist’s imagination. “I have slowly learned about the pattern of the grass, the trees, the structure of birds and other animals like insects and fish, so that when I am 80, I hope to be better,” Hokusai wrote 16 years before his death at age 89. “At 90, I hope to have caught the very essence of things, so that at 100 I will have reached heavenly mysteries. At 110, every point and line will be living.” Monet spent the last decades of his life painting his water lilies, and then painting them again, until he lost his sight in quest of an elusive, transcendent perfection that might best be called Japanese.”

The love affair that Claude Monet found with Japan in his lifetime remains powerful in modern Japan. After all, without a shadow of a doubt Claude Monet is one of the most popular artists in this country. Therefore, the “love affair” worked both ways and this “spark” remains extremely “bright” today in the land of the rising sun.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1573943,00.html#ixzz1uXJiJOmX

http://www.intermonet.com/japan/

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The boy Emperor Antoku tragically perished before reaching seven years of age because of the political convulsions of the late twelfth century in Japan. His death and that of loyalists within the Taira says much about the cultural mindset which would remain embedded within Japan long after the fatal year of 1185. Likewise, the innocence of Emperor Antoku means that within the historical annuls of Japan the boy Emperor remains within the psyche of individuals who adore the history and culture of Japan.

Sadly, the treacherous betrayal of the Taira general is also a permanent reminder that often the bigger enemy is closer to home. Indeed, while the Crusades is often seen in a warlike clash between Christianity and Islam this negates the ample treachery which took place on both sides of the fence. After all, many a Christian and Muslim leader double-crossed the so-called noble cause and other branches of both faiths were treated with equal disdain within their respective faiths.

Emperor Antoku was born in late 1178 but sadly for this young child it was a period of major animosity between the warring clans of Minamoto and Taira (Heike). The ill-winds of war and the tragic fate which awaited Emperor Antoku meant that everything was outside his scope. Instead, he relied heavily on close guardians and the fluctuating military scene. Therefore, his life was one of duty and learning the ways of refinement while being a figurehead without any power because of his age and the reality of the day.

In another article about Emperor Antoku I state that “The Taira had collapsed because of various factors. This applies to enormous discontent, power control mechanisms being challenged by traditional elites, new forces within the Minamoto powerbase, ill-fortune based on the effects of nature, the loss of a powerful leader within the Taira clan and a whole host of other factors. All this culminated in the battle of Dan-no-ura and the ending of the life of the child Emperor Antoku.”

Before the battle of Dan-no-ura the writing was on the wall for the Taira clan because the Minamoto clan had been reinvigorated internally. Equally important, the Taira reign created many enemies because of the power mechanisms employed.

Britannica states that the Taira “…were defeated in two successive battles…one at Ichinotani, west of the city of Kōbe in Settsu Province, and the other at Yashima Island, along the Inland Sea in Sanuki Province (present Kagawa Prefecture). Forced to flee further west, the Taira family was finally completely destroyed in 1185 in the great sea battle of Dannoura, which occurred off the eastern end of the strait that separates Kyushu from Honshu. In this battle the emperor Antoku drowned, taking with him the great sword that was one of the Imperial Treasures of Japan…”

The ill-fated battle happened in the Shimonoseki Strait on April 25 in the year of 1185 whereby Emperor Antoku would perish. Treachery was at hand because a Taira general notified the Minamoto clan about which ship Emperor Antoku was based. Once this knowledge was passed over, then the Minamoto clan set about targeting this ship.

Toshidama Gallery states that “…the Minamoto were led by the legendary warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune. The turning point in the ferocious battle came when a senior Taira general defected to the Minamoto and identified the ship containing the child Emperor Antoku and his family. The Minamoto archers turned their arrows on the flagship, sending it out of control. As the battle turned against them, sensing defeat, Antoku and his grandmother jumped to their deaths saying, “In the depths of the ocean we have a capital;” followed shortly by their loyal Taira samurai. The Taira threw the crown jewels overboard with them. The royal sword was never recovered. At the close of the engagement, the warrior Taira Norimori placed a heavy anchor on his armour and followed the rest into the sea…”

Different versions exist about what really happened because other historians focus on the death of his grandfather which enforced his grandmother to do desperate things. Alongside this his grandmother fully understood that the Taira would become supplanted by the Minamoto clan. Therefore, it seems most likely that Emperor Antoku even had his death controlled by a family member who believed that she had no other option.

It is ironic that while the Taira clan employed brutal methods during their period of power they ironically did not kill Minamoto Yoritomo in 1159 because of his young age. However, the Minamoto had no qualms in attacking the ship of Emperor Antoku. This reality meant that “an act of compassion” would come back to haunt the Taira clan.

Some historians state the age of death at six, seven and eight given the distance in time.

http://www.toshidama-japanese-prints.com/item_510/Kuniyoshi-The-Ghosts-of-the-Taira-Clan-Attacking-Yoshitsunes-Ship-in-Daimotsu-Bay-in-1185.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/580849/Taira-Family

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Japanese art is extremely diverse and during the lifetime of Yorozu Tetsugoro he witnessed many changes (1885-1927) because the Meiji Period opened up Japan to new thought patterns. In the field of art this radically altered the art scene because the encroachment of Western art hit a chord with many up and coming artists in this period of Japan. Therefore, Yorozu Tetsugoro and other Japanese artists had great opportunities to experiment.

The Suisaiga no Shiori (A Guide to Watercolors) by Oshita Tojiro was read by Yorozu Tetsugoro when he was a teenager. This book inspired him greatly because soon afterwards he began to paint watercolors. The book by Oshita Tojiro appeared to be   waiting to be opened by Yorozu Tetsugoro because everything now seemed natural to this developing artist. Also, given the inquisitive nature of Yorozu Tetsugoro, it wasn’t surprising that new ideas would entice him greatly.

In time, the Avant-garde Movement sweeping through the European continent would also inspire him. The earlier impact of painting watercolors which released fresh energy within his art was similarly followed by new creativity from the Avant-garde Movement. However, irrespective of where the inspiration came from Yorozu Tetsugoro was always focused on creating his own style.

Therefore, his artistic work involving still-life paintings, landscapes, self-portraits, and other areas, highlight his individuality and passion. Japanese Fauvism, watercolor landscapes, the Avant-garde Movement, Cubism, Nanga (literati paintings), and other areas of art, would all infringe on Yorozu Tetsugoro but not to the extent of limiting him or putting him in an easy bracket. After all, the inquisitive nature of this amazing artist meant that new thought patterns were only around the corner.

The Iwate Museum of Art comments that “In 1911 he graduated from the Western Painting Faculty of the Tokyo Fine Arts School. His graduation art piece, Nude Beauty, won much acclaim. It is considered to be a pioneering work of Japanese Fauvism. In the same year he participated in a Fyuzankai with Saito Yori and Kishida Ryusei. In the first exhibition he displayed his artwork, including, among others, Head of a Woman (Woman with a Boa). The society was disbanded the following year. At this stage in his career, Yorozu was influenced strongly by the European Avant-garde Movement, and he began to experiment painting in this style.” 

“In 1914 Yorozu returned to Tsuchizawa in Iwate Prefecture to apply himself to his paintings. He strived to develop his own personal style through the language of Cubism, painting a variety of self-portraits, landscape and still-life paintings. Five years later he returned to Tokyo. At the 4th Nika Exhibition held in 1917, he displayed Leaning Woman and ‘Still-life with a Brush Stand’, which provoked wide acclaim. During this time he also displayed his still-life works at exhibitions including the Japanese Art Society Exhibition and the Inten Exhibition.”

Sadly in 1919 his health deteriorated because he developed neurasthenia which was caused by insomnia and fatigue. Therefore, he relocated to Kanagawa Prefecture in a place called Chigasaki. It was hoped that the more sedate life would enable Yorozu Tetsugoro to recover and to refresh himself once his health became much better.

Despite everything he remained focused and his inquisitive nature led him to study Nanga in the early 1920s. During the same period he joined the Japan Watercolor Painting Association and helped to establish the Enchokai with other notable individuals. This applies to Hayashi Takeshi, Maeda Kanji, Onchi Kashiro and Kobayashi Tokusaburo.

It will never be known what future direction Yorozu Tetsugoro would have taken because clearly he was always open to new ideas. He passed away at the age of 41 from tuberculosis which was made worse once he developed pneumonia. Therefore, great mystery remains about what would have become of him in later life because he was a rare individual who was always seeking new styles. However, irrespective of the new artistic movement he followed, the greatness of Yorozu Tetsugoro was that he always maintained his own style and flair.

http://www.ima.or.jp/en/encollection/enyorozu.html

http://www.kanko-hanamaki.ne.jp/en/luminaries/index.html

http://www.ima.or.jp/en/enhome.html

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Alfred Sisley and Fujishima Takeji were both born in the nineteenth century and their common factors apply to the stunning art they produced and the richness of Paris which influenced both artists. They both also studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris in France.  However, the generational gap meant that both individuals studied at this important institution at different periods.

Fujishima Takeji (1867-1943) and Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) may have been born in two very different parts of the world but the Paris connection brought them together in the artistic sense. Alfred Sisley retained his British citizenship throughout his life despite being born in Paris and residing mainly in France. Therefore, Alfred Sisley was firmly based in Europe while Fujishima Takeji understood the diverse complexities of both Japanese art and European art.

However, Alfred Sisley would have connected with the birth place of Fujishima Takeji because he was born in Kagoshima. The reason for the connection applies to the countryside which meant so much to Alfred Sisley who adored landscape art. This also is another common theme shared by both exquisite artists.  The same also applies to Impressionism which meant so much to both artist but for Alfred Sisley the power ofImpressionist landscape was much deeper.

The stunning Impressionist landscape art of Alfred Sisley amazingly appears to be massively underrated when it comes to the fame of his name. Of course, for people who adore Impressionist art and art in general, then Alfred Sisley will be known to many. However, even within the art world his name doesn’t spring to mind when compared with other Impressionist artists. This is extremely surprising because he produced many sublime pieces of art which strikingly standout.

One important difference between Fujishima Takeji and Alfred Sisley is that Alfred Sisley never left the path ofImpressionist landscape art. Impressionism meant the world to Alfred Sisley. However, for Fujishima Takeji the influence of Japanese art and searching for new ideas meant that other art movements were equally important.

Fujishima Takeji had originally started studying traditional Japanese painting when he relocated to Tokyo in 1884. During this period he studied under Gyokusho Kawabata and prior to this he had learnt brush stroke techniques under Togaku Hirayama. However, the lore of Western art appealed greatly to Fujishima Takeji therefore he soon changed his art direction and focused on Western-style paintings. He was lucky enough to study under Hosui Yamamoto and Yukihiko Soyama when he made this transition and it soon became apparent that Fujishima Takeji had taken the right path.

Outside of Japan Fujishima Takeji became known for his importance in focusing on and developingRomanticism and Impressionism which graced the Japanese art scene called yoga (Western-style). This change of direction would also witness Fujishima Takeji becoming influenced by Art Nouveau. Yet despite the many influences it was the yoga path which became instrumental to him by the mid-1880s. Great credit for enhancing his abundant talent must be given to Hosui Yamamoto and Yukihiko Soyama for their expert guidance.

Ironically, the industrialization and innovation of the Meiji Restoration (1868) meant that new opportunities were occurring within all strata’s of society. This enabled many Japanese artists to focus on new art forms and to free their minds whereby many paths were open to talented artists outside of the traditional art forms of Japan. However, for Alfred Sisley his stunning art bypassed the power of industrialization and instead it would appear that nature was in the ascendancy. This was also done without any political or romantic bias because everything seemed so natural and this is the beauty of Alfred Sisley.

Another different aspect to the lives of Fujishima Takeji and Alfred Sisley applies to material wealth and certainty. Alfred Sisley was born into a wealthy family but after the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian war, everything changed because poverty and challenging times would now become the norm. In this sense, Fujishima Takeji overcomes material obstacles because his later life was extremely stable when it came to financial matters. However, for Alfred Sisley this area remained problematic for him despite having wealthy patrons which enabled him to travel to Britain from time to time.

Despite poverty remaining with the Sisley family this never dampened his spirit and love of Impressionism. Therefore, he rose above everything and continued to produce stunning landscapes throughout his remaining years on this earth. Also, when the Sisley family moved away from Paris and relocated near to the forest of Fontainebleau, this decision turned out to be very fruitful because it suited his style of art. Given this, Alfred Sisley became refreshed by the surrounding environment because he did not need the trappings of major cities by this stage in his life.

Meanwhile the life of Fujishima Takeji in the 1880s was given a huge boost by the novelist and art critic, Ogai Mori. This applies to the fact that Ogai Mori was highly respected and well connected. Therefore, Fujishima Takeji was now moving in the right circles and he clearly utilized all the wisdom and skills that he had learnt from Togaku Hirayama.

The Marubeni Art Collection states that “In 1905, Fujishima traveled to Europe and studied under Fernand Cormon at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris in France and Carolus-Duran, President of the Academie de France in Italy. Cormon’s speciality was historical paintings, while Duran excelled in portraiture.”

This meant that Fujishima Takeji also studied at the same institution and while Alfred Sisley had sadly passed away in 1899, his spirit and the power of the art he produced remained strong. Therefore, the same art institution and the trappings of Paris will have been felt richly for both stunning and gifted artists. The meaning of the art institution and their time in Paris will have meant different things. However, certain connections will have flowed in their veins even if the outcome was different for both individuals.

The Marubeni Art Collection continues by stating that “On his return, in 1910, Fujishima was nominated Professor of Tokyo Art School and became a member of the Imperial Art Academy (the Teikoku Bijutsu-in), as well as a member of the jury for its exhibitions, known in abbreviations at the Tei-ten. In 1937, he received the very first Order of Culture (Bunka Kunsho), a decoration given by the Government to those who have contributed greatly to the development of art, science and other fields of culture, along with Saburosuke Okada.”

Overall, the beauty of the art work of Alfred Sisley and Fujishima Takeji is abundantly clear when you view their most famous pieces of art. Certain flows of history and important circles naturally entered both of their respective worlds irrespective if the outcome was different. These two amazing artists have left a rich legacy and both need to be studied more in the modern period because of the richness of the art they both produced.

http://www.alfredsisley.org

http://www.vincentvangoghclaudemonet.org/artist/Fujishima_takeji.html

Image 1-3-5-7-9-11-13-15 are pieces of art by Alfred Sisley and number 2-4-6-8-10-12-14 are art pieces by Fujishima Takeji.

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Tomoko Hara

Modern Tokyo Times

Nishikawa Sukenobu was born in 1671 and until his death in the middle of the eighteenth century, this stunning artist opened up aspects of the role of women in Japanese society. Also, with Sukenobu being based in Kyoto then this provides a rarity within the ukiyo-e art movement. Therefore, with Sukenobu being based in the imperial city of Kyoto this provided him with more freedom and his thinking would be influenced by the environment he resided in.

It is stated about this stunning artist that his images of women were more natural and unassuming and this fact left a lasting legacy. From the political point of view, he appears to have been disenchanted with bakufureforms which were infringing on artists. However, instead of accepting these reforms he appears to have rebuked the bakufu by expressing his thinking through his artwork.

Jenny Preston, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, comments that “Between 1710 and 1722, Sukenobu published some fifty erotic works; following the Kyôhô reforms of 1722 outlawing erotica, he began producing works generally categorized as fûzoku ehon — versions of canonical texts, poems and riddles, all executed in a contemporary idiom. This study contends that these works were an expression of political disaffection; that Sukenobu used first the medium of the erotic, then the image-cum-text format of the children’s book to articulate anti-bakufu and pro-imperialist sentiment.  This radical re-reading of Sukenobu’s work is supported by close reference to the literary output of his numerous collaborators, to contemporary diary and pamphlet literature, and to the corpus of Edo and Kyoto machibure edicts. The study will hopefully shed new light on the role of popular art in the eighteenth century, and its profound political engagement.”

The research by Jenny Preston is very important because it highlights that artists couldn’t be fully constrained by bakufu reforms in their entirety. If, like stated, he had pro-imperial sentiments then this confirms his attachment to Kyoto and the power mechanisms of this city. Also, it shows that the bakufu would tolerate certain dissent in this period but at the same time central institutions were worried about the impact of art when it was deemed unsavory to the sentiments of the bakufu.

The University of Alberta Art Collection website comments that “Nishikawa Sukenobu was a Japanese woodblock print designer, book illustrator and painter. Unlike most of his contemporaries, who worked out of Edo, Sukenobu was based in the imperial capital, Kyoto. He produced book illustrations for the celebrated Kyoto publisher Hachimonjiya Jishō, as well as drawings for several kimono pattern sample books which portray scenes of women choosing kimonos. Sukenobu is best known for his orihon (folded books) and for his unsurpassed skill in presenting graceful and charmingly realized beauties. Sukenobu’s work greatly influenced numerous artists throughout the history of ukiyo-e.”

This bio by the University of Alberta is just highlighting brief facts about Sukenobu but it is clear that this individual artist is viewed with great acclaim when it comes to his depiction of women. Also, the Kyoto angle is highlighted and clearly Sukenobu is opening up a window to the fashion styles of this period in Kyoto. Similarly, he is providing a glimpse into the world of Kyoto with regards to the role of women in society.

Therefore, irrespective if the glimpse is limited or based on a male perception, it is still of cultural importance because his images are very realistic. For this reason, Sukenobu is of great importance because he opens up the keys to imperial Kyoto and the freedoms of women within certain areas of life.

His artwork called Appreciating 100 Women (Hyakunin joro shinasadame) is highly acclaimed because he covers a broad spectrum of different themes. This focus also highlights that his world was very rich and that he could mix easily irrespective of the situation. Therefore, Hyakunin joro shinasadame focuses on issues from the empress to ladies who were employed in the sex trade. Also, irrespective of the subject matter in this series of images, the importance is the style he did this in because the images are very realistic and this reality is what makes his work so powerful.

In another article about Sukenobu which was published by Modern Tokyo Times it was stated that “…with Sukenobu focusing on women from various different classes then he opens up the reality of old Japan. This in itself is very fascinating because it provides glimpses into the Edo period and this applies to stratification, roles of women, and freedom of women in Japan in this period. Therefore, the Hyakunin joro shinasadame is very important with regards to not only art but because it also relates to social issues and thought patterns of the day.”

“Sukenobu also highlights aspects of fashion with regards to elegant kimono designs. Indeed, many kimono-makers commissioned Sukenobu because of his creativity and the fact that he focused heavily on beautiful women and their lifestyle. Therefore, kimono-makers believed rightly that he could focus on new textile designs and this fact highlights the popularity of his work.”

The political angle to Sukenobu is also extremely fascinating and the same applies to the huge cultural differences within Japan. Imperial Kyoto had many different political intrigues and the world of Sukenobu meant that he was mainly an “outsider” in the world of ukiyo-e.

Lee Jay Walker gave support to the article

http://www.scholarsresource.com/browse/artist/2142567952　

http://collections.museums.ualberta.ca/uaac/uaac/details.aspx?key=18058&r=1&t=1

http://www.soas.ac.uk/jrc/awards-and-grants/kayoko-tsuda-bursary-recipients.html

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com　

http://moderntokyotimes.com　

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum is a specialist museum which highlights the amazing beauty and craftsmanship of netsuke. Currently, the Spring Exhibition on the Theme of “Next Stage” runs until April 30and the next exhibition will start in July. If individuals reside in Kyoto or will be visiting this amazing city; then clearly this enchanting museum is most rewarding because of the many angles to netsuke.

Netsuke (http://www.netsukekan.jp/en/) began by being based on practicality and flourished during the Edo period. This practical angle applies to traditional robes being made without pockets. Not surprisingly, this created problems because personal items couldn’t be stored away. Therefore, from this humble beginning a new art form would entail whereby great craftsmanship would take netsuke into a different dimension. Indeed, this great skill is still in great demand today therefore the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum’s 2,500-piece collection dates from the Edo period to the present period.

It is stated on the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum that “Netsuke were invented out of the necessity of preventing items that were hung on the person and carried, such as inro (a pillbox), yatate (a portable writing set), cigarette cases and pouches from being lost or stolen. People would hang items from their obi (sash) with a string and attach a netsuke to the other end of the string as a fastener. Materials such as animal bones, including ivory and bull horns, ceramic and metals were used to make netsuke and they were finely sculptured by Japanese craftsmen.”

Netsuke became extremely popular during the Edo period and the gradual evolution of this intriguing aspect of Japanese culture would witness amazing craftsmanship. The museum in Kyoto therefore highlights the many intriguing angles to netsuke. This is backed up by providing fabulous exhibitions whereby the general public can see and feel the richness of this cultural trait.

The International Netsuke Society states that “All three objects (netsuke, ojime and the different types of sagemono) were often beautifully decorated with elaborate carving, lacquer work, or inlays of rare and exotic materials. Subjects portrayed in netsuke include naturally found objects, plants and animals, legends and legendary heroes, myths and mystical beasts, gods and religious symbols, daily activities, and myriad other themes. Many netsuke are believed to have been talismans. These items eventually developed into highly coveted and collectible art forms. Today we see a broad range from “folk art” carvings to levels of sophistication some consider to be fine art.”

When visiting the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum people will be inspired by the awesome backdrop and setting of this exquisite museum. On the website of this museum it is stated that “The museum building is believed to have been built as the residence of the Kanzaki Family, one of the Mibu Goshi, in 1820. The residence of the Kanzaki Family was designated by Kyoto City as a tangible cultural property.” Therefore, the exquisite design and ambience is a treasure to behold.

During each respective exhibition you will have approximately 400 items on show which highlight the amazing skill and broad nature of netsuke. At the same time, the adorable setting and rich architecture will enable visitors to take a step back in time. Therefore, the “real Kyoto” can be felt deeply and the same applies about understanding the refined craftsmanship of Japanese specialists.

Muneaki Kinoshita, Director of the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum, comments that “I began to think that I had to help the people of Japan preserve this wonderful, traditional Japanese art. The Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum is the fruit of my dream. The museum was opened in the autumn of 2007, by restoring the only existing samurai residence in Kyoto. Masterpieces selected from my collection are exhibited during the provided period of time in each season.”

The current exhibition runs until April 30 and the next exhibition will start in July. Therefore, if people reside in the Kyoto area or will visit this city of amazing high culture then the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum is a must place to visit.

http://www.netsukekan.jp/en/ Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum – In English

http://www.netsukekan.jp/ Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum – In Japanese

http://www.netsukekan.jp/en/access/ Access information

All images belong to the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum who gave Modern Tokyo Times permission to highlight this stunning museum