Japan Art and the Buddha
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Indigenous Shintoism and the religions and philosophies of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism have shaped Japan to varying degrees. Accordingly, from holy places to thought patterns – and modern business ways – the above faiths and philosophies impact from the appropriate angle and often with various fusions.
The print above by Takumi Shinagawa (1908-2009) was completed in the early post-war period. It highlights a unique angle. This concerns the color green along with the tilted head. However, the tranquility of the Buddha manifests similarly to historical sculptures.
The British Museum says, “Shinagawa was born in Niigata Prefecture, the son-in-law of a traditional Buddhist sculptor, and has always remained interested in sculptural work. He originally studied metalwork and many other crafts at Tokyo City Craft School but got interested in ‘Shin Zokeishugi’ (New Formative) painting and printmaking, and became a pupil of Onchi to whom he went for advice and who encouraged him to make prints. In spite of a great personal interest in ‘Ukiyo-e’, he always worked in international styles and was particularly influenced by Picasso and Gauguin. In 1947 he contributed to the Ichimoku-kai print collection, and again in 1949 and 1950. His prints during this period are very similar to Onchi’s late works.”
Kaoru Kawano (1916-1965) was born in northern Japan. His print above highlights the Buddha with flowers – and this works excellently.
The final print above is by Tomikichiro Tokuriki (1902-1999). He came from a long line of family artists – going back hundreds of years – and was born in Kyoto.
However, unlike the other two prints of the Buddha, Tokuriki focuses on the potency of the Buddha that can be found in Buddhist compounds throughout Japan.
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