Yorozu Tetsugoro and Japanese Art: Impact of Iwate and Tokyo
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Yorozu Tetsugoro was born in 1885 and died of tuberculosis in 1927 after severe complications from pneumonia that finally took its toll. Sadly, all too often many artists in this period died very young and the same fate awaited this genius from Iwate. However, despite his limited years on this earth Yorozu Tetsugoro left a lasting legacy because of his rich artistic skills.
Art became very important to Yorozu Tetsugoro at an early age and during his teenage years he read Suisaiga no Shiori (A Guide to Watercolors) by Oshita Tojiro. This book inspired Yorozu Tetsugoro because he began to paint watercolors.
In 1903 the “search” within his soul led him to Tokyo because this inquisitive young man knew that art was part and parcel of who he was. Prior to moving to Tokyo he studied Japanese art with “great abandon” because his studies were independent and the passion that this freedom created inspired Yorozu Tetsugoro.
1906 proved to be pivotal because he ventured to America as part of a Buddhist Zen mission. This relates to studying Zen meditation under Taninaka Ryoboan who was a Zen priest. Therefore, the mission would have been a natural correlation for Yorozu Tetsugoro. Also, on his return in the same year he was accepted on a Preliminary Course at Tokyo Fine Arts School and this applies to the Faculty of Western Painting.
Yorozu Tetsugoro finally graduated at this institution in 1911 and clearly his art continued to develop in several directions. The Iwate Prefecture website comments that “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).”
During this period of his life the Avant-garde Movement in Europe influenced Yorozu Tetsugoro greatly. However, just like he studied Japanese art independently during his early years, the free spirit remained because he desired to create his own unique style. Therefore, his paintings of landscapes, still-life art, and various self-portraits, highlight the inner thinking of this man of creativity.
It is also noticeable that in 1914 he returned to Iwate Prefecture therefore the soothing environment, connection of the past, and being free from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo must have liberated Yorozu Tetsugoro. This does not imply any negativity to his time in Tokyo because clearly his studies, connections with other artists, new thinking, and other vital areas, all enhanced his creativity and growing reputation. However, in order for Yorozu Tetsugoro to apply his art completely then the freedom of Iwate Prefecture was needed at this moment in his life.
Yorozu Tetsugoro fused many aspects of different art concepts from within Japan and outside of Japan. Artistic styles – and movements – are highlighted by art elites but the countless definitions of various art movements confuse often non-artistic people. However, from a lay perspective the art of Yorozu Tetsugoro represents a time when new cultural perspectives were impacting greatly on individuals in the art world of Japan.
However, the serenity of Iwate Prefecture and his own individualism means that Yorozu Tetsugoro may have lived in “the new world” but fusions of the “old world” remained vivid within his soul. Also, new spurts of individual creativity enabled him to break free and create stunning art irrespective of the art movement it is deemed to belong.
The solitary nature of many images by Yorozu Tetsugoro is truly striking based on originality and deeper meanings. Not surprisingly, his rich artistic talent continues to inspire vast numbers of people in the modern period.
http://www.ima.or.jp/en/encollection/enyorozu/self-portrait-with-red-eyes.html
http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/bijyutu/mmoa/en/navigation/index.asp?url=../museum/collect010.html
http://www.pref.iwate.jp/~hp0922/engyorozu.htm
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