Gregg Baker Asian Art: Catalogue 2012

g r e g g b a k e r a s i a n art

gregg baker recent acquisitions

a s i a n art

1 A pair of six- fold paper screens painted in ink and colour on a silver ground with momiji (maple). The right-hand screen with the green foliage of summer and the left-hand screen with the red foliage of autumn, the tree growing from a rocky outcrop beside a waterfall.

Japan 20th century Taisho period Dimensions: H. 69in x W. 1471/2in (176cm x 375cm)

Momiji (maple) shares pride of place with sakura (cherry blossom) as the two most important seasonal symbols in Japan. This much admired autumnal motif is mentioned in the Manyoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), Nara period (645-781); the literary masterpiece Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) from the Heian period (782-1184); and the popular Noh play Momiji-gari (Maple Viewing) of the Muromachi period (1392-1572).

A carved wood and gilt lacquer figure of Amida Nyorai seated in hanka zo (half-leg pose). The hands in An-i-in (mudra of appeasement) signifying the descent of Amida to earth to seek the souls of the dead. The eyes, byakugo (all seeing third eye) and nikkeisuu (jewel of wisdom) are inlaid with crystal.

The figure rests upon a modern wood stand and an associated polychromed and gilt octagonal stand.

Figure: Japan 14th century Kamakura/Nanbokucho period Stand: Japan 16th century Muromachi period Dimensions: Buddha: H. 23in (58cm) Belief in Amida as Lord of the Western Paradise rose in popularity during the late 10th century. Based primarily on the concept of salvation through faith, it was not only a religion which appealed to a broad range of people, but also a direct assertion of piety against the dogmatic and esoteric ritual of the more traditional Tendai and Shingon sects. In Amida’s Western Paradise the faithful are reborn, to progress through various stages of increasing awareness until finally achieving complete enlightenment.

Provenance: from the collection of Dodie Rosekrans, San Francisco, USA

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4 A bronze ritual kanbutsu-ban (ablution bowl) of lotus form.

A gilt bronze standing figure of Amida Nyorai.

Japan 16th century Muromachi period Dimensions: H. 5in x D. 11in (12.5cm x 27.5cm)

Japan 13th/14th century Kamakura period Dimensions: H. 83/4in (22cm)

Buddha's birthday is commemorated annually on 8th of April, where Tanjobutsu (a statue of Buddha in the form of a child), is placed in a kanbutsu-ban (metal ablution bowl) and sprinkled with scented water or hydrangea tea. The ceremony recreates a legend of when the Buddha was born and was sprinkled with perfume by Ryuo (the dragon god).

Increased activity of the Jodo sect from the early Kamakura period ignited great interest in the worship of Amida, resulting in a strong demand for devotional images. Bronze sculptures such as this are thought to take their inspiration from a triad group of Amida and two attendant bodhisattvas enshrined at Zenkoji Temple, Nagano Prefecture. This model group was purportedly brought from the Korean kingdom of Kudara when Buddhism was introduced into Japan in the 6th century.

Typically the statue of Tanjobutsu has the right hand raised and the left hand pointing down, depicting the moment when Buddha took seven steps forward and pronounced the words “tenju tenga yuiga dokuson” (I alone am honoured in heaven and on earth). The kanbutsu-e ceremony was brought to Japan from China, and the first recorded celebration in Japan was at Gankoji, Nara in 606.

For vessels with similar incised design see: Ganjinwajo; National Treasures from the Tenpyo Period, pp. 150/151, pl.54-1 to 6.

Belief in Amida as Lord of the Western Paradise rose in popularity during the late 10th century. Based primarily on the concept of salvation through faith, it was not only a religion which appealed to a broad range of people, but also a direct assertion of piety against the dogmatic and esoteric ritual of the more traditional Tendai and Shingon sects. In Amida’s Western Paradise the faithful are reborn, to progress through various stages of increasing awareness until finally achieving complete enlightenment.

For a similar bronze figure see: Kamakura; The Renaissance of Japanese Sculpture, pp. 124/125, pl.38.

A two-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a buff ground with gold clouds and sunago (sprinkled gold) depicting bijin (beauties) playing hanetsuki (shuttlecock).

Japan 19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 661/4in x W. 683/4in (171cm x 175cm) Originating in ancient China, hanetsuki originally served as a rite during exorcism and became a game for girls during the Muromachi period (1333-1568). Traditionally played on New Year’s Day to bring good luck, it is said to ward off evil spirits.

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It is played by one or several players using hagoita (decorated wooden battledores) and a brightly-coloured hane (a shuttlecock made from a hard soapberry and a few feathers), similar to badminton but without the use of a net. The aim of the game is to bat the hane back and forth between the players as many times as possible without it touching the ground, a single player has to keep the hane aloft by herself. The amount of protection received for the coming year increases the longer the hane remains in the air, the player who drops the hane receives a daub of black ink on her face.

A two-fold silk on paper screen painted in ink and colour with a Geisha tuning her shamisen on the balustraded veranda of a tea house. The bijin (beauty) is formally dressed in a plaid kimono with a cherry blossom patterned obi, her hair adorned with numerous combs and ornaments. To her left are a lantern, lacquered shodana (display cabinet), sakezuki (sake cup), sake pot and a celadon bowl.

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Seal: Takaaki Japan 20th century Taisho period Dimensions: H. 671/2in x W. 741/4in (171cm x 188cm) For a similar example of a painting of a Geisha see: Drama and Desire; Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690-1850, p. 163, pl. 44.

7 A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with ume (plum), a broken bamboo fence and a seguro-sekirei (wagtail) in a rocky river landscape.

Japan 17th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 583/4in x W. 1103/4in (149cm x 281cm) For a screen with similar subject matter see: The 100th Anniversary of the Kyoto National Museum Special Exhibition. The Age of Gold, Days of Dreams, In Praise of the Paintings of the Momoyama Period, pp.186-187.

A two-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with a gnarled ume (plum) in bloom.

Japan 17th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 661/2in x W. 701/2in (169cm x 179cm) Plum weathers the hardship of winter and blossoms with the coming spring leading ones thoughts to hopes and dreams for the coming year. The more severe the winter the more fragrant its blossom. Perhaps this parallel with the human condition explains the popularity of plum blossom as a subject matter.

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For similar examples of plum trees on both six-fold screens and fusuma see: Worlds Seen and Imagined, Japanese screens from the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, painted by Ogata Korin (1658-1716), p.125 pl. 20; The 100th Anniversary of the Kyoto National Museum, The Age of Gold, Days of Dreams: In Praise of the Paintings of the Momoyama period, painted by Kaiho Yusho, in the collection of Myoshin-ji temple, Kyoto, pp.186/187; The Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art; Momoyama Decorative Painting, painted by Kaiho Yusho in the Shoin (audience hall), Zenkyo-an, Kennin-ji, Kyoto, pp. 74/75, pl.60

A two-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a buff ground with a lake and reeds Seal: Okyo no in (seal of Okyo) Inscribed: Kafu shinpitsu Ozui kan (viewed and authenticated by Ozui, as a genuine work by his father) Seal: Ozui Japan 18th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 733/4in x W. 663/4in (169cm x 187cm) Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795), go (art names): Issho, Kaiun, Kaun, Osui Gyofu, Rakuyo Sanjin, Seishukan, Senrei, Sensai Settei, Untei. Given the name Maruyama Masataka, he was the son of a farming family in Ano-o, in present-day Kameoka. He moved to Kyoto as a teenager where he worked as a shop boy for a clothing retailer before getting a job painting the faces of dolls at the Owariya toy shop where his talent was recognised, giving him the opportunity to enter the Kano school.

He started his formal studies under the Kano master Ishida Yutei (1721-1786). Okyo was later patronised by Yujo, head of the Emman-in, Otsu, and from 1765-1775 he was able to study the monastery’s collection of ancient paintings. In 1766 he took the name Okyo.

Okyo first became acquainted with Western perspective when he saw a European stereoscope and in 1767 he tried his hand at one of the images and created Harbour View, a small picture in single-point perspective. Okyo soon mastered the techniques of drawing megane-e (eyeglass pictures) and incorporated this in what eventually became his personal style of Western naturalism mixed with Eastern decorative design.

Success prompted Okyo to start his own school in Kyoto, where he could teach his new style. A talented teacher, he soon took on many students and taught them to rely on nature to render images in a realistic manner using light, shadow and form. The school grew in popularity, and branches soon appeared in other locations, including Osaka. Much of the school's work is today preserved at Daijo-ji, a temple in Kasumi (Hyogo Prefecture).

Noteworthy pupils include Okyo's son, Maruyama Ozui (1766-1829), Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799), and Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811).

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Goshun joined Okyo's school in 1787, later that year the Maruyama school was commissioned to paint screens for Daijo-ji. In the same year, Kyoto suffered a devastating fire forcing Okyo and Goshun to move into Kiun-in temple. The two became great friends, and Okyo refused to regard their relationship as that of teacher and student. Goshun later went on to found the Shijo school.

Maruyama Ozui (1766-1829) was Okyo’s eldest son and succeeded him as the leader of the Maruyama School.

For a set of four fusuma with a similar design see: Special Exhibition, Maruyama Okyo: Shaseiga- Challenging a New Frontier, pp. 094-095, pl. 46 Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio; Daijo-ji, Fukuoka; Emman-in, Otsu; Freer Gallery of Art, Washington; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo.

A furosaki screen with gilt uzura (quail), hagi (bush clover) and kibi (millet) on a roiro (black lacquer) ground.

Signed: Zuisho Japan 20th century Showa period Dimensions: H. 18in x W. 663/4in (44.5cm x 169.5cm) Tomobako (original box) inscribed: Uzura no furosaki (furosaki with quail )

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Printed on an accompanying slip: Shikanji Shoichi (Inami Urushi Kogeika) Kitamura Shirane nado to tomo ni Nitten de Katsuyaku. Shiga-ken Yanma Kaikan (chokoku to shitsunai soshoku de yumei na tatemono Showa 33 nen kansei) no seisaku ni Takenaka Soyokazera to tomo ni sanka suru.

(Shikanji Shoichi, a lacquer artisan from Inami and Kitamura Shirane were active participants of Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition). Together with Takenaka Soyokaze, he took part in decorating Yanma Assembly Hall in Shiga Prefecture, a building famous for its indoor decorations completed Showa 33, 1959) Shikanji Shoichi (1911–1990). Go (art name): Zuisho. In 1926 he began to study lacquer techniques under Yamamoto Tatsuzo. From 1950 he exhibited at Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition), and in 1962 his work took the Grand Prize at the Toyama Prefectural Art Exhibition. In 1983 and 1987 Zuisho was decorated by the government for his important contributions to the arts.

The aki no nanakusa (Seven Grasses of Autumn) theme dates to the eighth century Manyoshu poetry collection and has continued to be a favourite theme in Japanese art and poetry. As established in the Manyoshu they consisted of hagi (bush clover), susuki (pampas grass), kuzu (arrowroot), nadeshiko (wild carnation), ominaeshi (golden lace), fujibakama (mistflower) and kikyo (bellflower).

aki no no ni sakitaru hana o yubi orite kaki kazoureba nana kusa no hana. hagi ga hana obana kuzubana nadeshiko no hana ominaeshi mata fujibakama asagao no hana.

Flowers blossoming in autumn fields when I count them on my fingers they then number seven The flowers of bush clover, eulalia, arrowroot, pink, golden lace, also, mistflower and morning faces flower Yamanoue Okura (C. 660 - 733) Manyoshu: 8:1537-8

A furosaki paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with hagi (bush clover), kikyo (bell flower), ominaeshi (golden lace), kiku (chrysanthemum) and kusa (grasses).

Japan 18th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 24in x W. 641/2in (61cm x 164cm)

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A bronze flower vessel of mimikuchi (ear-mouth) form with a band of lappet decoration to the neck.

Japan 19th century Meiji period Dimensions: H. 13in x W. 221/2 (33cm x 57cm) Mimikuchi (ear-mouth), is a type of bronze vessel which takes its name from its shape, it appears to have no Chinese antecedent and therefore is believed to be of purely Japanese design. The earliest known examples appear in a 16th century publication on flower arranging by Senko II, the famous master of Ikebana (flower arranging).

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These vessels are sometimes referred to as tsurukuchi (cranemouth); the word tsuru is read in its alternative form and derives from the large bow-like handles seen on bamboo baskets used for flower arrangements.

For a mimikuchi vase with similar decoration see: Flower Bronzes of Japan, p. 80, pl.41.

13 A pair of bronze carp on a black and gold lacquer base. Each fish is patinated in naturalistic hues with the eyes inlaid with gilt and shakudo (gold copper alloy).

Signed on a silver plaque: Joun Japan 19th/20th century Meiji/ Taisho Dimensions: Large carp: L. 201/2in (52cm) Small carp: L. 103/4in (27cm) Oshima Joun (1858-1940) was born to a family of metalworkers and was famous for his skill in casting bronze. He was the son of Oshima Takajiro, whose own father Oshima Yasubei was the first metal craftsman in the family. He taught at the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko (the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, now the Tokyo University of the Arts) from 1890 and was a professor from 1918 to 1932. He was an examiner at the 1st Tokyo Kangyo Hakurankai (Tokyo Industrial Exhibition) in 1907.

The studio, Sanseisha, managed by Joun and his brother Katsujiro, was very successful and at one point employed 11 assistants, producing some of the finest bronzes of the period between 1875 and 1879. Many of Joun's students (Ryuki, Chokichi, Sessei Okazaki, Kumazo Hasegawa, Gorosaburo Kanaya, Eisuke Jomi) went on to achieve distinction of their own.

He exhibited at the 2nd Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai (National Industrial Exposition) in 1881 winning a prize; in 1900 he was awarded a gold prize at the Paris Exposition Universelle, and was an exhibitor at the London Japan-British Exhibition of 1910.

A paper furosaki painted in ink and colour with komatsu (young pine).

Signed: Hoitsu Kishin hitsu (painted by Hoitsu Kishin) Seal: Bunsen Japan 18th/19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 251/4in x W. 681/4in (64cm x173cm) Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828). Given name: Sakai Tadamoto. Nickname: Kishin. Go: Hoitsu, Keikyo Dojin, Kuzento, Nison’an, Niwabyoshi, Oson, Toryu, Ukaan. Born in Edo (Tokyo), the second son of Lord Sakai of Himeji Castle in Harima province, Hoitsu moved to Kyoto to study Kano school painting. He then moved on and studied various styles including ukiyo-e under Utagawa Toyoharu (1735–1814), Maruyama with Watanabe Nangaku (1767–1813), nanga with So Shiseki (1712–1786) and finally, on the advice of Tani Buncho (1763–1840), he became a Rimpa school painter. He was well versed in the classics, poetry and Noh.

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In 1797 he became a Buddhist priest and spent the last twenty one years of his life in seclusion, painting and studying the life and works of Ogata Korin (1658–1716). Hoitsu published two influential books of woodblock prints reproducing the paintings of Korin and Kenzan; Korin Hyakuzu in 1815 and Kenzan Iboku Gafu in 1823, as well as a book of his own works called Oson Gafu. From 1707 the Sakai family had supported Korin with a daily allowance and had a large collection of his works, which seem to have influenced Hoitsu greatly.

Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York; The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Atami Art Museum, Shizuoka Prefecture; Brooklyn Museum, New York; The British Museum, London; Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio; Fitzwilliam, Cambridge, UK; Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass.; Freer Gallery of Art, Washington; Herron Museum of Art, Indianapolis; Itsuo Art Museum, Osaka; Lake Biwa Cultural Hall, Otsu; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum für Kunst und Gerwerbe, Hamburg; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass.; Nelson Gallery, Atkins Museum, Kansas City; Newark Museum, New Jersey; Okura Shuko-kan, Tokyo; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence; Rietberg Museum, Zurich; Staatliche Museen Berlin; Seattle Art Museum, Washington; Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo; Umezawa Kinenkan, Tokyo; University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Worcester Art Museum, Mass.; Yamatane Museum of Art, Tokyo.

A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a buff and sunago (sprinkled gold) ground with two egrets.

Signed: Tai-Korin ga, Goshun sha (painted by Goshun in the manner of Ogata Korin) Seal: Goshun Japan 18th/19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 413/4in x W. 1121/4in (105.5cm x 258cm) Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811). Given name: Matsumura Toyoaki. Go (art names): Gekkei, Goshun, Hyakushodo, Katen, Shoutei, Sompaku, Sonjuhaku and Sonseki. He was born in Owari and lived in Settsu and Kyoto.

He was a pupil of Onishi Suigetsu and later Yosa Buson (1716–1783) with whom he also studied haiku using the name Gekkai. After 1781 he adopted the name Goshun.

Following Buson’s death he was strongly influenced by Okyo (1733-1795) eventually creating his own style, he founded the Shijo school which tried to combine the realism of Okyo with the idealism of the Nanga school. Among his students were Matsumura Keibun (1779-1843) and Okamoto Toyohiko (1773-1845). Goshun was one of the greatest of the late-Edo period painters and his school had an enormous influence on 19th century Japanese art.

Works by the artist can be found in The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; The British Museum, London; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; Tokyo National Museum and The Victoria & Albert Museum.

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A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with a scene from Heike Monogatari (The Tale of Heike).

Japan 18th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 611/4in x W. 1431/4in (155cm x 363.5cm) Heike Monogatari (The Tale of Heike) is the dramatic account of the changing fortunes and final collapse of the mighty Heike clan at the hands of the Minamoto. Stories of the Heike’s meteoric rise and calamitous fall were first told by blind minstrels, many years passed before they were written down. The story was revised by a number of writers, nobles and monks until the final version appeared in the middle of the thirteenth century. Heike Monogatari ranks as Japan’s finest epic, on the same level as Genji Monogatari, the pinnacle of classical romantic narrative but where Genji is a fictional tale Heike is an historical chronicle of battles, brave deeds and occasional acts of cowardice interspersed with tragic tales of love.

Chapter 6: Kogo Chapter six tells the tragic story of the Lady Kogo and how she became an obstacle to Kiyomori’s ambitions when she came to the attention of Kiyomori’s son-in-law Lord Takafusa. Kogo, a renowned beauty and accomplished koto player, was lady-in-waiting to Kenreimon-in, one of Kiyomori’s daughters, the wife of Emperor Takakura (r.1168-80). Kiyomori’s plan was to marry his daughters into the imperial family with the idea that when one of their offspring became emperor he, as grandfather would become the power behind the throne. Takafusa was forced to renounce his love for Kogo when the Emperor also became infatuated with her. Kiyomori was infuriated by the love triangle involving both his sons-in-law and Kogo was banished from the court.

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Takakura became despondent at the loss of his love and one autumn evening at the time of the full moon, decided to send his retainer Nakakuni to look for her. His search ended near the banks of the River Oi northwest of Kyoto when he heard the sound of Kogo’s music. She was persuaded to return to the capital where she lived in secret and gave birth to a baby girl. Kiyomori discovered her whereabouts and forced her to become a nun, she died not long after at the age of twenty-three.

For a pair of six-fold screens with the same subject matter see: Bridge of Dreams, the Mary Griggs Burke Collection of Japanese Art (the Metropolitan Museum of Art) pp. 268/269, pl. 111.

Provenance: from a private Spanish collection, purchased from S. Yabumoto Ltd, Tokyo, 8th April 1965.

17 A two-fold silk on paper screen painted in ink and colour on a silver ground with grasses and shikishi (poem slips) Japan 19th century Edo/Meiji period Dimensions: H. 633/4in x W. 70in (161.5cm x 177.5cm)

A Tokoname storage jar Japan 16th century Muromachi/Momoyama period Dimensions: H. 24in x W. 201/2in (61cm x 52cm) During the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1333-1568) periods, the kiln sites at Seto, Tamba, Shigaraki, Tokoname, Echizen and Bizen produced durable, high-fired stoneware vessels.

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Tokoname jars were made by piling coils of clay, smoothing the interior and exterior surfaces, and allowing the clay to dry before adding another section.

The wide rim and mouth were then formed on a potter's wheel and added to the top of the jar. The small base allowed the vessel to stand safely on a narrow step on the steep slope of a rising kiln floor, such kilns were built into the side of a hill and used wood for firing. The natural ash glazes took about a week to ten days to form and created unevenly coloured and randomly glazed surfaces, often spotted with particles of fired earth that dropped from the kiln ceiling. Tokoname, which focused on agricultural storage vessels, was the largest centre of ceramic production in medieval Japan.

The rustic qualities embodied in these stonewares were perfectly suited for use in chanoyu (the tea ceremony) which, from the late fifteenth century had become increasingly imbued with the newly emerging wabi-sabi sensibility, emphasising an admiration for the imperfect over the perfect.

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A pair of six-fold paper sokazu byobu (flower screens) painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with autumn flowers and grasses: hagi (bush clover), nadeshiko (pinks), kikyo (bell flowers), ominaeshi (golden lace) and kiku (chrysanthemum).

Japan 18th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 481/2in x W. 113in (122cm x 287cm)

The aki no nanakusa (Seven Grasses of Autumn) theme dates to the eighth century Manyoshu poetry collection and has continued to be a favourite theme in Japanese art and poetry. As established in the Manyoshu they consisted of hagi (bush clover), susuki (pampas grass), kuzu (arrowroot), nadeshiko (wild carnation), ominaeshi (golden lace), fujibakama (mistflower) and kikyo (bellflower).

aki no no ni sakitaru hana o yubi orite kaki kazoureba nana kusa no hana. hagi ga hana obana kuzubana nadeshiko no hana ominaeshi mata fujibakama asagao no hana.

Flowers blossoming in autumn fields when I count them on my fingers they then number seven The flowers of bush clover, eulalia, arrowroot, pink, golden lace, also, mistflower and morning faces flower Yamanoue Okura (C. 660 - 733) Manyoshu: 8:1537-8

A pair of four-fold paper screens painted in ink on a gold ground with take (bamboo) and suzume (sparrows). The right-hand screen depicts three suzume (sparrows) flying over kumazasa (dwarf bamboo) and the left-hand screen shows two suzume (sparrows) and take (bamboo).

Right-hand screen: Signed: Beisen Seal: Beisen Inscription: Yuzan suzume wo utsutsu. (Sparrows painted by Yuzan).

Seal: Yuzan

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Left-hand screen: Inscription lower right: Shosen hijaku wo utsutsu.

(Flying sparrow painted by Shosen).

Seal: Shosen Signed above the perched sparrow: Ikka Seal: Ikka Lower left signed: Beisen hitsu Seal: Beisen Japan 19th/20th century Meiji period Dimensions: H.531/4in x W. 681/2in (135cm x174cm)

All of these artists, Kubota Beisen (1852-1906), Mori Yuzan (d. 1917), Suzuki Shosen (b. 1872) and Tanaka Ikka (1884-1924) are of the school of Suzuki Hyakunen (1825-1891) or Mori Kansai (1814-1894) who were the distinctive artists of the Kansai painting circle at that time. Born in Kyoto, Beisen studied under Suzuki Hyakunen, he was also active as an illustrator with the army and actually accompanied the troops during the war with China in 1894-1895. Yuzan was a disciple of Mori Kansai and was later adopted by him. Shosen was a grandson of Suzuki Hyakunen and studied under his father, Suzuki Shonen (1848-1918). Born in Kyoto, Ikka was a pupil of Beisen.

As demonstrated in these screens, the strength and resilience of the bamboo stalks painted by Beisen embodies his energetic and powerful style whilst the sparrows by the other artists show the more restrained style of the Shijo school, the juxtaposition of which adds a balance to the classical scene. The sizes of the images by the various artists reflect their respective seniority and blend their different characters well.

Another interesting collaboration, this time on a scroll, “Myriad Fish� by twelve different artists including Kubota Beisen, Imao Keinen (1845-1924), Suzuki Shonen and Suzuki Hyakunen, is in the collection of the British Museum.

21 In some instances in Japanese legend and art gama (toad) and kaeru (frog) are interchangeable. However, it is the long lived, terrestrial toad that is most closely associated with myth and magic, as is reflected in the expression gama yojutsu (black arts of the toad).

Japanese legend tells of Gama Sennin, also known as Kosensei, a wise old man with a hunched body and a warty face. He wandered the land with his toad companion who taught him the secret powers of herbs, including the secret of immortality. This tale is similar to a Chinese legend involving a wandering wise man called Liu Hai and his three-legged toad companion Ch'an Chu. The toad knows the secret of eternal life and, for his friendship, reveals the secret to the wise man.

In many ancient Chinese tales and legends, the toad is a trickster and a magician, a master of escape and spells; he is also the keeper of the real, powerful secrets of the world such as the secret of immortality. It is such ascribed powers that undoubtedly led the Chinese, and later the Japanese, to associate the toad with Taoists who seek to develop these talents.

23 A bronze okimono (decorative object) of two gama (toads).

Japan 19th century Meiji period Dimensions: H.53/4in x W. 51/4in (13cm x12cm)

A bronze okimono (decorative object) of a toad.

Japan 19th century Meiji period Dimensions: H.61/4in x W. 7in (16cm x18cm)

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24 A bronze tsuiteki (water dropper) in the form of a gama (toad).

Signed: Hyakutai Senjo zo, Senjo-do chuzo (One hundred toads, cast by Senjo-do).

Japan 19th century Edo/Meiji period Dimensions: H.21/4in x W. 31/4in (6cm x9cm)

A bronze okimono (decorative object) of a gama (toad) with gilt, akagane (copper) and shakudo (gold/copper alloy) eyes.

Signed: Kinryusai Gido zo (made by Kinryusai Gido) Japan 19th century Meiji period Dimensions: H.31/4in x W. 41/2in (8.5cm x11.5cm) Suhara Yoshimichi, go (art name): Kinryusai Gido. Active during the Meiji period, he lived in the Kanda district, Tokyo where he was a member of the Tokyo Chokokai (Tokyo Sculptors’ Society), specialising in cast bronze and lost wax techniques.

Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: The University Art Museum, The Tokyo University of Fine Arts, a group of two bronze tortoises purchased in 1906, reference no: Metal collection 765-8215. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, U.S.A., a group of five bronze turtles. The Museum of Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, Tokyo see:Meiji Bijutsu saiken 1:Meiji Bijutsu Kyokai to Nihon Kinko Kyokai no Jidai (Reappraisal of Meiji Art I – The Era of Meiji Bijutsu-kai and Nihon Kinko Kyokai), pl. 36, A bronze koro (incense burner) in the form of a Shishi and peony on rocks which is a designated important cultural property.

25 An ivory carving in the form of a bushukan (Buddha’s hand or finger citron). Naturalistically carved with curling tendrils, the surface of the fruit is skilfully pricked with shallow holes to imitate its natural porous texture.

Japan 19th century Meiji period Dimensions: L.4in (11cm) Bushukan were considered to be auspicious symbols and form one of the Three Abundances along with the peach and pomegranate.

The finger citron (citrus medica) was inedible but its strong natural odour was used for scenting rooms. It was offered in porcelain bowls before the shrines of household gods at religious festivals, particularly at the New Year, and was deemed by the Chinese to resemble the Buddha’s hand. Sometimes seen to illustrate the gesture of grasping for money, it also became a symbol of wealth.

In Japan, the bushukan is said to bestow good luck on the household; it is often given as a New Year gift, placed upon rice cakes or used instead of a floral display in the tokonoma (formal display alcove).

26 A carved boxwood okimono (decorative object) of a zugaikotsu (skull).

Japan 19th century Edo period Dimensions: H.21/4in x W. 21/4in (11cm x7cm)

A pair of six-fold paper screens painted in ink on a silver ground with red and white ume (plum) in full bloom.

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Signed: Yosai shujin sha (painted by Master Yosai) Seals: Top: Okada Nori in (seal of Okada Nori) Bottom: Yosai Japan 19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 36in x W. 103in (96.5cm x 261cm)

Plum weathers the hardship of winter and blossoms with the coming spring leading ones thoughts to hopes and dreams for the coming year. The more severe the winter the more fragrant its blossom. Perhaps this parallel with the human condition explains the popularity of plum blossom as a subject matter.

Okada Yosai (1784-1864). Given name: Narinori. Go (art name): Nori. Born in Kaga, Kanazawa, modern day Ishikawa prefecture, he was a member of the Ishikawa family. A Confucian scholar, he excelled at ink paintings of plum and calligraphy.

A paper kakemono (hanging scroll) painted in ink with a poem and aki no nanakusa (Seven Flowers of Autumn).

Signed:

Rengetsu

Japan 19th century Edo/Meiji period Dimensions: Scroll: H. 673/4in x W. 11in (170cm x 28cm) Painting: H. 441/4in x W. 101/4in (113cm x 26cm) Shiku mo oshi maku mo oshiki wo akikusa no hana no mushiro wa nobe nagara min

Rather than cutting them down to spread out or gather up let the wild flowers of autumn be and enjoy the field just as it is

Rengetsu nanaju-kyu-sai

Rengetsu at the age of 79

This poem was published in: Lotus Moon: The Poetry of the Buddhist Nun Otagaki Rengetsu, translated and introduced by John Stevens, White Pine Press, New York, p 65; and the Autumn Chapter in The Ama no Karumo (Anthology of poems composed by Otagaki Rengetsu – A Diver’s Harvest of Seaweed), number 121.

Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875). Shortly after her birth in Kyoto to a samurai family with the surname Todo, she was adopted by Otagaki Mitsuhisa who worked at Chion'in, an important Jodo (Pure Land) sect temple in Kyoto, and was given the name Nobu.

In 1798, having lost her mother and brother, she was sent to serve as a lady-in-waiting at Kameoka Castle in Tanba, where she studied poetry, calligraphy and martial arts, returning home at the age of 16 to marry a young samurai named Mochihisa. They had three children, all of whom died shortly after birth; in 1815 Mochihisa also died.

In 1819 Nobu remarried, but her second husband died in 1823. After enduring the tragic loss of two husbands and all her children, Nobu, only 33 years old, shaved her head and became a nun, at which time she adopted the name Rengetsu (lotus moon). She lived with her stepfather, who had also taken vows, near Chion'in. After his death in 1832 Rengetsu began to make pottery, which she then inscribed with her own waka (31-syllable classical poetry) and sold to support herself.

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The delicate hand-built tea utensils that she inscribed with hauntingly beautiful poems are unique combinations of poetry, calligraphy and pottery; they were as highly prized in her own lifetime as they are now.

Rengetsu is also known to have inscribed her poems on utensils made by other Kyoto potters.

Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: The Tokyo National Museum and the Michigan Museum of Art

29 A paper kakemono (hanging scroll) painted in ink and colour with a butterfly and a poem Signed: Hachi ju ni Rengetsu (Rengetsu at 82) Japan 19th century Meiji period (1872) Dimensions: Scroll: H. 45 3/4in x W. 17in (116cm x 43cm) Painting: H. 121/4in x W. 161/4in (31cm x 41cm) Ukarekite, Hanano no tsuyu ni, neburu nari, kowa taga yume no, kocho (kotefu) naruramu

Joyfully fluttering in a field, of flowers and dew, sleeping away, who is dreaming this, a butterfly or me?

This poem takes its inspiration from Zhuangzi’s (369-286 BC) story of dreaming he might be a butterfly. The poem is listed in the Spring Chapter of the Ama no Karumo (Anthology of poems composed by Otagaki Rengetsu - A Diver’s Harvest of Seaweed).

30 A paper kakemono (hanging scroll) painted in ink with a poem.

Signed: Rengetsu Japan 19th century Edo/Meiji period Dimensions: Scroll: H. 461/4in x W. 17in (117cm x 43cm) Painting: H. 111/2in x W. 161/4in (29cm x 41cm) Hotokeno omae ni maitte, Akirakeki Minorino kaze ni Harawa nan Nochise no yama ni Kakaru shirakumo.

Having humbled myself before the Buddha Oh, so bright and glorious, The breeze of Buddha’s Law, Removing impurities, Over the mountains and into the future, Draping the White Clouds.

A set of three paper kakemono (hanging scrolls) painted in ink and colour on gold leaf shikishi (poem slips) with New Year poems.

Signed: Rengetsu Japan 19th century Edo/Meiji period Dimensions: (each scroll) Scroll: H. 531/4in x W. 101/4in (143cm x 26cm) Painting: H. 7in x W. 5 3/4in (17.5cm x 14.5cm) Tomobako: Lid inscribed: Rengetsu gasan, kin-shikishi (gold shikishi with paintings and inscriptions by Rengetsu) Inscribed on a paper slip on the reverse of the lid: Ko-Toyama Kozo-shi iai-hin, Rengetsu gasan, kin-shikishi, san-fuku, Showa juichi-nen shigatsu, korewo shuju-su (A beloved item from the collection of the late Toyama Kozo. Three scrolls with paintings and calligraphy by Rengetsu on gold shikishi. Showa 11 April. Received as a great treasure by Sato Shiun) Seal: Sato Shindai

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Toyama Kozo (1879-1935) was a wealthy cloth merchant who founded several successful stores in Nagoya and elsewhere. Sato Shiun (18981986) was a popular painter and teacher who had thousands of students and published a number of painting manuals. Received as a great treasure, indicates that Sato received it as a gift.

Paper slip inside the box: Yukusue no sachi to yowai o futaba ni te chitose o matsu ya hisashi karuran. Muregame ni hitotsu no yorozu yo o tori atsume tsu tsu kimi so kazohen. Hinazuru no yukuse tohoki koe kikeba kimi ga chitose o utau narikeri.

(Transliteration of Rengetsu’s poems from the scrolls)

Scroll 1 (crane)

Scroll 2 (pine)

Scroll 3 (tortoise)

Inscribed: Hinazuru no yukuse tohoki koe kikeba kimi ga chitose o utau narikeri.

(Hear the timeless cry of young cranes, it is a song celebrating our lord whose reign will last and last)

Inscribed: Yukusue no sachi to yowai o futaba ni te chitose o matsu ya hisashi karuran.

(In celebration that our coming years of maturity will be as long lasting as the evergreen pine and as fresh as its new needles)

Inscribed: Muregame ni hitotsu no yorozu yo o tori atsume tsu tsu kimi so kazohen.

(So many tortoises have gathered one after another collecting in a big group beyond count, an auspicious omen for the lord)

Lord means the emperor, but used here in the sense of an exalted person who is leading the nation into a new age. In Rengetsu’s time, the restoration of the emperor symbolised the renewal of the Japanese spirit, and also the internationalisation of the island country, the doors to the world had been opened.

This is another poem celebrating renewal. The pine is ancient and gnarled but each New Year it brings forth fresh needles.

Each poem represents one of the three celebratory themes of the Japanese New Year: crane, pine, and tortoise. The pine poem scroll in the middle, flanked by the crane (heaven) scroll, and the tortoise (earth) scroll. The gold leaf shikishi are of the highest quality. It is therefore reasonable to assume that a patron brought them to Rengetsu to be inscribed with appropriate poems for the New Year.

A paper kakemono (hanging scroll) painted in ink and colour with a blind monk crawling over a bridge Signed: Rakushisai Sukoku-ga (Painted by Rakushisai, Sukoku).

Seal: Toryuo Japan 18th/19th century Edo period Dimensions: Scroll: H. 481/4in x W. 241/4in (123.25cm x 61cm) Painting: H. 13in x W. 23in (33cm x 58.5cm)

This subject matter is a reference to the powerful painting; Two Blind Men Crossing a Log Bridge by Hakuin (1685-1768) which depicts two figures feeling their way across a bridge over a river chasm, an image that can be interpreted as a poignant analogy to the unenlightened seeking understanding. In order to make his religious teaching more relevant to his students, he depicted a steep ravine that was an actual site near his own rural temple of Shoin-ji at the top of the Izu peninsula in eastern Japan.

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Ko Sukoku (1730-1804). Go (art names): Korensha, Rakushisai, Suiundo, Sukoku and Toryuo. He lived in Edo; a pupil of Sawaki Sushi (1707-1772) and a follower of Hanabusa Itcho (1652-1724), he is considered the best of Itcho’s followers. Sukoku later studied the technique of Kano Tan’yu (1602-1674). He specialised in paintings illustrating legendary tales as well as the manners and customs of townspeople. His style was a mixture of Kano and Ukiyo-e.

Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts; Tokyo National Museum; Senso-ji, Tokyo; Suntory Art Gallery, Kyoto and The University Art Museum of the Tokyo University of Fine Art.

A kakemono (hanging scroll) painted in ink and colour with a gnarled matsu (pine) and the moon amongst clouds.

Signed: Kawabata Gyokusho Japan 19th century Meiji period Dimensions: Scroll: H. 543/4in x W. 30in (139cm x 76cm) Painting: H. 14in x W. 241/2in (35cm x 62cm)

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Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913). Go (art name) Keitei, and Shoo. He was born in Kyoto to a family of lacquer artists. He first studied the Maruyama style with Nakajima Raisho (1796-1871). In 1866 he left Kyoto for Tokyo to study Western painting under Charles Wirgman (1832-1891). However, he soon returned to Japanese-style painting and became a leading figure in Tokyo art circles and by 1890 he was the professor in charge of the planning division espousing the Shijo school at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. In 1909 he founded the Kawabata painting school. He was a member of Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai (The Japan Art Association) and the Imperial Art Commission (the predecessor of the Commission for the Protection of Cultural Properties). He is considered the last great representative of the Shijo school, although in his last years he sought to combine Chinese, Japanese and Western elements in his painting.

Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mass.; Tokyo National Museum: University of Arts Exhibition Hall; Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

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A pair of six-fold paper screens painted in ink and colour on a silver ground with ashi (reeds).

Seals: Top: Hirai Yutaka in (Seal of Yutaka Hirai) Bottom: Chokusui Japan 20th century Meiji/Taisho period Dimensions: H. 671/4in x W. 1493/4in (170.5cm x 380cm)

Hirai Chokusui (b.1861). Given names: Shiho and Toranosuke. Go (art names): Seisai and Kajitsuro. Born in Osaka. Chokusui started painting at the age of 30 under Fukuda Chokujo (1861-1947); he excelled at landscapes and kachoga (bird and flower paintings) and was particularly well known for his paintings of peacocks. As the head of a painting studio in Osaka he taught many other noted painters including Takabatake Kasho (18881966), Kanashima Keika (1892-1974), Ito Keisui (1881-1967) and Okamoto Hosui (1876-1959).

Chokusui exhibited at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 where he sold two pieces.

Works by the artist can be found in the collection of: Oita Kenrisu Geijusu Kaikan (Oita Prefecture Art Museum).

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A pair of six-fold paper screens painted in ink and colour on a gold ground, one with asagao (morning glory) and the other with tessen (clematis), above which are applied shikishi (poem slips) depicting Sanjurokusen (36 Immortal poets) and calligraphy.

Japan 18th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 293/4in x W. 102in (75.5cm x 259cm) The theme of 36 poets as a painting is based on an anthology of selected poems Sanjurokuninsen (selection of thirty six poets) by Hujiwara no Kinto (996-1041) and usually depicts Kakinomoto no Hitomaro and/or Yamabe no Akahito, two of the most revered of the 36 poets

36 A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a buff ground with autumn flowers, a bamboo fence, rocks, a pair of Oshidori (Mandarin ducks) and shikishi (poem slips) among gold clouds in a river landscape.

Japan 19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 541/2in x W. 1311/2in (138cm x 334cm)

37 A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a buff ground with usagi (hares), flowers and shikishi (poem slips) among gold clouds in an autumnal landscape.

Japan 19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 541/2in x W. 1311/2in (138cm x 334cm)

A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a buff ground with gold clouds, depicting the entrance to wakashu kabuki (male prostitute kabuki).

Reading from the right the screen shows a tea house with customers taking a refreshing break. A mixed crowd of men, women and children is making its way towards the riverside theatre on foot and machikago (palanquin), paying the gatekeeper as they enter. In order not to be seen in such a place of earthy indulgence, some of the men are trying to conceal their identity by wearing straw hats pulled tightly over their faces. The audience, seated on red mats surrounding the raised stage is enjoying a theatrical performance. Some of the spectators are distracted by an altercation to their left, where it appears the retainers of two wealthy patrons are fighting over a young actor.

Japan 17th century Genroku period Dimensions: H. 471/2in x W. 1101/2in (121cm x 281cm)

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Kabuki theatre originated at the beginning of the 17th century when Okuni, a miko priestess of Izumo Taisha, Shimane prefecture, performed in the grounds of Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto and on the dry riverbed of the Kamo river. Her erotic dances performed by a troupe of girls were called kabuki, which derived from the late 16th century colloquial expression kabuku, meaning eccentric, or in a strange fashion. Okuni kabuki, with the background of drums and flutes, rapidly gained popularity and in 1607 was performed at Edo castle. By the second decade of the 17th century, the stalls and outdoor theatres at Kitano and the Shijo riverbed became home to several groups of yujo kabuki (prostitute's kabuki), such as Sadoshima, Douki, Uneme, and Mataichi, all developing the style of Okuni kabuki. In 1629, Bakufu (the government) banned onna kabuki (women's kabuki) as a threat to public morals. Wakashu (young men or boys) immediately replaced women in performances. In 1657, young men were banned from the stage for using kabuki as a front for prostitution, and yaro kabuki (older men's kabuki) was inaugurated. Kabuki continues to be performed exclusively by men to this day.

For screens with similar subject matter see: Japanese Genre Paintings in the Idemitsu Collection, no. 19 and Three Hundred Years of Japanese Painting: Indianapolis Museum of Art and Genre Screens from the Suntory Museum of Art, no. 10.

A six-fold paper screen painted in ink on a gold ground with ayu (freshwater trout), yanagi (willow) and jakago (stone filled baskets).

Signed: Michio-ga (painted by Michio) Seal: Totosai.

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Japan 18th/19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 371/4in x W. 1083/4in (94cm x 276cm) Kawano Eiju (d.1802). Given names: Yasuji and Eiju. Go (art names): Michio and Eiju. He was of samurai descent, the son of Kawano Heiemon Michinobu, a scribe and calligrapher of Awa prefecture. In 1764 Eiju went to Edo to study painting under Kano Eisen’in Michinobu (1730-1790) and later used one of the characters from his master’s name as a go. In 1767 he was appointed an official painter for the Hachisuka family of Awa (modern Tokushima prefecture) working at their official residence in Edo. Works by the artist can be found in the collections of: Tokushima Castle Museum, Tokushima; Tokushima Prefecture Museum; Tofukuji temple (Mima-gun, Tokushima prefecture); Mitsui Memorial Museum, Tokyo.

40 A carved wood polychromed figure of Ebisu seated on a rock, a fishing-rod in his right hand and a tai (sea bream) under his left arm Japan 19th century Edo/Meiji period Dimensions: H. 39in x W. 263/4in (99cm x 68cm) A dedication slip inside the figure refers to Miho-jinja Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.

Miho-jinja is a Shinto shrine located in the town of Matsue, in the port village of Mihonoseki, Shimane Prefecture, southwest Japan. The present building honden (main sanctuary) dates back to 1813 and was designated an important cultural asset in 1982.

It is the foremost shrine dedicated to Kotoshiro-nushi, son of the god Okuninushi and the goddess Mihotsu-hime. During the Middle Ages he became known as Ebisu, the god of the sea and navigation, merchants, music and dance and one of the most important gods in the Shinto pantheon.

Ebisu, one of the Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Good Fortune) is depicted as a fat and cheerful fisherman dressed in traditional court robes and holding a large tai (sea bream). Ebisu is believed to bring good luck to commercial ventures. He is said to be deaf and therefore was unable to hear the bell calling him to join the other gods for the Shinto festival at Izumo celebrated in October; as a result he founded Ebisu Ko, his own festival at a separate temple in Osaka.

Bishamon, Benten, Fukurokuju, Hotei, Jurojin, Daikoku and Ebisu are the seven popular Japanese deities, known as Shichifukujin (Seven Gods of Good Fortune) thought to bring good luck and happiness.

Each one personifies a different aspect of good fortune but, although they were included in the Shinto pantheon, only two of them, Daikoku and Ebisu, were indigenous Japanese gods. Others were versions of popular Buddhist gods imported from China, while Benten and Bishamon originated as Hindu deities, and Hotei as a Daoist god.

Buddhism was declared the official religion of the Japanese imperial court in AD 593, but instead of trying to stamp out Shinto, the existing faith, Buddhist missionaries in Japan drew parallels between the two faiths and proclaimed the identities of the deities to be the same.

Because of this peaceable marriage of the two faiths, it was easy for attractive and popular Buddhist gods, such as those of good fortune, to be assimilated with the innumerable kami (spirits, natural forces, or essence) of the old religion.

A two-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with a bijin (beauty) passing through a rope curtain and accompanied by a dog.

Japan 19th century Edo period Dimensions: H. 591/2in x W. 62in (150.5cm x 157cm)

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This screen takes its inspiration from a two-fold screen painted in the 17th century and now in the Hara collection, Tokyo.

See: Edo no Bijinga Kanei, Kanbun-ki no Nikuhitsu-ga (Paintings of Beauties in the Edo period; Hand Drawn Pictures from the Kanei to Kanbun period (1624-1673), col. pl.50, b&w pl.13 and The Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art, Momoyama Genre Painting p.109 pl.91.

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