Sugitani Yukinao was a court painter (goyô eshi) in service to the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto han. His works include a Ryûkyûjin zagaku no zu and a Ryûkyûjin michigaku no zu, scroll paintings depicting the 1832 Ryukyuan mission to Edo as it first entered the city, and then as members of the mission performed chamber music within the Satsuma Edo mansion. Both of these works are today held by the Eisei Bunko.
Yukinao studied under Efuji Yoshiyuki[1] of the Yano school, and is also considered to fall within the Sekkoku branch of the school of Sesshû. As court painter, he occasionally traveled with the lord of Kumamoto to Edo, and it was within such a context that he was able to witness and to paint these performances by the Ryukyuan mission.
His son Sugitani Sesshô became a famous painter in his own right, and is known to have accompanied hittô karô (Chief Elder) of Kumamoto domain Matsui Teruyuki to Edo in 1856.
References
- Sudô Ryôko 須藤良子, "Ryûkyûjin michigaku no zu ni miru Ryûkanpuku" 『琉球人道楽之圖』にみる「琉冠服」, Fukushoku bunka gakkaishi 服飾文化学会誌 10, no. 1 (2009): 11–21.
- Sudô Ryôko, "Ryûkyûjin zagaku no zu ni miru Ryûkyû no fukushoku" 『琉球人坐楽之図』にみる琉球の服飾, Ethno-arts minzoku geijutsu 民族芸術 26 (2010), 240-246.
- ↑ Kikan Eisei Bunko 季刊永青文庫 60 (1996), 7.