Japan Art and the Natural Ambience of Buddhism and Shinto

Japan Art and the Natural Ambience of Buddhism and Shinto

Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The artist Takeuchi Seihō (1864-1942) was born in the delightful city of Kyoto. He was born shortly before the end of the Edo Period. Hence, the modernizing Meiji Period (1868-1912) influenced him greatly.

The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art says, “Takeuchi Seiho was the most influential painter in modern Japanese painting. During the Meiji period, Seiho aimed for the innovation in the world of painting and traveled to the West, seeking for new expressions of Japanese painting which transcends old traditions…”

The contemporary artist Sawako Utsumi (art above) focuses on the Shinto faith – unlike the two other art pieces that utilize the impact of Buddhism on Japanese culture.

Shintoism isn’t dogmatic, unlike the Abrahamic faiths that emanate from Judaism. Instead, it flows naturally from one generation to the next – similar to each changing season.

The BBC says, “Shinto is not a way of explaining the world. What matters are rituals that enable human beings to communicate with kami.”

The final art piece is by Tsuchiya Kōitsu (1870-1949). He focuses on a stunning Buddhist Pagoda in the city of Nikko.

The Koller Collection of Asian Art says, “Kōitsu Tsuchiya 土屋光逸 (1870–1949) was a master landscape print designer part of the New Prints Movement (shin-hanga) in early 20th c. Japan. His prints, known for their intriguing color schemes and theatrical use of light, are referred to as light ray pictures (kosen-ga).”

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/spirit-of-shinto-and-ukiyo-e-in-the-light-of-nature-sawako-utsumi.html?newartwork=true

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/spirit-of-ukiyo-e-in-the-light-of-shinto-sawako-utsumi.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/shinto-and-color-fusions-homage-to-yamamoto-hosui-sawako-utsumi.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/modern-japanese-art-in-the-shadow-of-the-past-utsumi-and-kano-school-sawako-utsumi.html

https://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi