Japan Art and Eclectic Mix: Hanabusa Itchō, Bakufu Ohno, and Maekawa Senpan
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Hanabusa Itchō (1652–1724) was a fiercely independent-minded artist born during the Edo Period. Throughout his artistic life, he demonstrated a willingness to challenge convention, allowing his distinctive outlook to guide him beyond established boundaries.
Initially, Itchō studied the Kano style of painting, with Kano Yasunobu enriching his early artistic development. However, Itchō was also renowned for his poetry, and his later art increasingly reflected his desire to break free from the established conventions of the Kano school. His nonconformist approach eventually led him to seek patronage beyond traditional artistic elites after his expulsion from the school. Yet independence came at a considerable cost, and between 1698 and 1710, his circumstances included imprisonment and exile. Despite these bleak experiences, Itchō’s artistic individuality remains a compelling reminder that creativity often flourishes beyond the boundaries of convention.
Bakufu Ohno (Ono) (1888–1976) produced a diverse range of Japanese art, spanning a period of extraordinary historical and cultural transformation. Born in Tokyo during the Meiji Period (1868–1912), he witnessed Japan’s transition through the Taishō and Shōwa eras, encompassing profound changes in society, artistic expression, and national identity.
Following the devastating Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, Ohno relocated to the Kansai region. His artistic standing continued to grow, and he became an honorary member of the Hyōgo Prefecture Academy of Fine Arts. The art piece above depicts a solitary individual in a boat, barely visible in the clear distance. Nature embraces this small human presence, from the distant skyline and mountains to the pine trees occupying the foreground. The composition creates a beautiful sense of depth, while the contrast between the expansive landscape and the tiny boat invites contemplation. Humanity appears almost incidental within this vast natural setting, yet the distant figure gives the landscape a quiet emotional presence.
Maekawa Senpan (1888–1960) was born during the Meiji Period and became an important figure in sōsaku hanga(creative prints). Initially, he studied oil painting under the acclaimed Asai Chū, among other instructors, at the Kansai Art Academy. However, Maekawa would ultimately become better known for his woodblock prints, reflecting the eclectic artistic possibilities that emerged as Japanese artists explored new approaches to expression and technique.
The Portland Art Museum explains: “Maekawa’s real name was Ishida Jûzaburô 石田重三郎. He studied oil painting at the Kansai Art Academy (Kansai Bijutsu In) in Kyoto, where one of his instructors was Asai Chū. He became an illustrator and cartoonist to support himself, and in 1911 he moved to Tokyo to work for Puck 東京パック社, a satiric periodical. He taught himself to make woodblock prints and exhibited in the first art show of the Sōsaku Hanga Kyōkai in 1919. Although Maekawa was the oldest of the artists in the group, his progressive views made his work modern.”
In the art piece above, a young farming woman stands outdoors, seemingly struggling against the cold. Her rosy-red cheeks suggest the bite of the winter air, while her folded arms convey an instinctive response to the chill. Yet there is something subtly unexpected about her presence, as though her posture and expression reveal a private moment beyond the immediate demands of rural life. The image is both welcoming and mysterious, combining everyday humanity with an understated artistic sensibility. Together, the works of Itchō, Ohno, and Maekawa reveal the remarkable eclecticism of Japanese art: from the defiant independence of an Edo-period painter to the expansive beauty of a landscape and the intimate character of a modern creative print. Across different eras and artistic approaches, each offers a distinctive way of seeing the world.
https://moderntokyonews.com/?s=Art Past ART articles via MODERN TOKYO NEWS (Modern Tokyo Times group)
MODERN TOKYO TIMES – MODERN TOKYO NEWS – please check https://moderntokyonews.com
Please check Modern Tokyo News at https://moderntokyonews.com for articles going back over 12 years. Sadly, Modern Tokyo Times got hacked and lost 14 years of articles…
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/moderntokyotimes