Japanese art and Bunjinga (Nanga): the influence of China and Korea in the Edo period Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Bunjinga school of thought ran deep within the literati of Japan during the Edo period. Bunjin (literati) artists trace their artistic roots to the literati of China during the Song Dynasty (960-1267). However, [...]
Japanese art and Gyoshu Hayami: a very inquisitive artist Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Gyoshu Hayami (1894-1935) was born in the Meiji era whereby Japan entered a period of rapid modernization. However, his art belongs to the Taisho and Showa periods of Japanese history because he was too young to make an impact in [...]
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 [...]
Japanese art and Kuniyoshi: Serene Art During a Period of Change Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Kuniyoshi is amongst the crème de la crème of ukiyo-e because his art work was truly amazing and so powerful. Kuniyoshi, just like other famous Japanese artists like Ando Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai, was very diverse and the [...]
Japanese tourism and art: Hakone and Hokusai Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Katsushika Hokusai was a sublime Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker and his art had many faces and styles. However, when you think about the stunning nature of Hakone then the refined art of Hokusai springs to mind. Alternatively, if you close [...]
Keanu Reeves and the 47 Ronin By toshidama So, the greatest of all Japanese folk tales is to be re-imagined at a cost of 175 million dollars. November 2012 sees the 3D release of the latest of nine film versions of The Revenge of the 47 Ronin. Readers of this blog and visitors to the [...]
West Meets East in Japanese Prints (earlier than expected) by toshidama Most people tend to think of Japan as being sealed from the rest of the world until Commander Perry’s famous gunboat diplomacy of 1854. This is true in the main but there are notable examples of Dutch fraternisation prior to the reforms that led to [...]
Isoda Koryusai: man of mystery in the ukiyo-e art world Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Isoda Koryusai is a man of mystery even today because much remains up in the air about important aspects of his life. Koryusai was born in 1735 and died in 1790 and he was active during the 1760s and [...]
Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Japanese art: Images of tranquility and landscapes Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicted many images and covered various different subject matters. Therefore, the art of this stylish ukiyo-e artist in this article provides only a glimpse into the real Kuniyoshi. Kuniyoshi was born in 1797 and died in 1861 [...]
Cezanne and Hokusai and the Mountainous Motif By toshidama Here are two great artists of the nineteenth century – innovators, visionaries and both of them artists of great influence. Both Hokusai and Cezanne have in different ways exerted huge influence over the course of art, certainly in the west during the crucial period of the avante [...]
Japan Ukiyo-e Museum in Matsumoto: richness of art and culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ukiyo-e expresses the richness of Japanese culture, nature, history, mythology, theatre, stunning landscapes, and highlights the importance of entertainment and other areas. Also, ukiyo-e shows vivid images of sexuality and some shunga is extremely explicit even by the [...]
Boys and Girls… Gender, Kabuki and Japanese Prints By toshidama Japanese prints can be confusing territory for those seeking certainty. Artists of the ukiyo-e revelled in “look and compare” pictures or mitate-e as it is called. Borrowing from the traditions of poetry, mitate-e pictures play ironically with the knowingness of the audience, substituting contemporary actors for [...]
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