Changes

*''Japanese'': 日本画 ''(Nihonga)''

*''Japanese'': 日本画 ''(Nihonga)''

''Nihonga'' (lit. "Japan pictures" or "Japanese painting") is a term applied broadly to Japanese paintings of the [[Meiji period]] and onwards which employ traditional media and techniques. Also called "neo-traditional" painting, ''Nihonga'' emerged around the 1880s as a reaction against the prominence of ''[[yoga|yôga]]'' (Western-style oil painting) and the decline of traditional modes of painting. The style has been described as "modernist," and combines elements of the style and techniques of [[Rinpa]], [[Kano school|Kanô school]], [[Tosa school]], ''[[ukiyo-e]]'', [[literati painting]], and other traditional painting schools with elements of Western technique and style including perspective, shading and modeling, attention to light sources and shadow, and a degree of realism or naturalism, in compositions which most often feature traditional subjects or themes. Works are done not in oils, acrylics, pencil, charcoal, or other Western media, but in ink and colors on paper or silk, on hanging scrolls, handscrolls, folding screens, or other traditional formats. Gold and silver foil, mica, and other such materials employed by Rinpa, Kanô, and ''ukiyo-e'' artists are also sometimes used.

''Nihonga'' (lit. "Japan pictures" or "Japanese painting") is a term applied broadly to Japanese paintings of the [[Meiji period]] and onwards which employ traditional media and techniques. Also called "neo-traditional" painting, the term ''Nihonga'', along with the movement or genre itself, emerged around the 1880s as a reaction against the prominence of ''[[yoga|yôga]]'' (Western-style oil painting) and the decline of traditional modes of painting. The style has been described as "modernist," and combines elements of the style and techniques of [[Rinpa]], [[Kano school|Kanô school]], [[Tosa school]], ''[[ukiyo-e]]'', [[literati painting]], and other traditional painting schools with elements of Western technique and style including perspective, shading and modeling, attention to light sources and shadow, the absence of outline, and a degree of realism or naturalism, in compositions which most often feature traditional subjects or themes. Works are done not in oils, acrylics, pencil, charcoal, or other Western media, but in ink and colors on paper or silk, on hanging scrolls, handscrolls, folding screens, or other traditional formats. Gold and silver foil, mica, and other such materials employed by Rinpa, Kanô, and ''ukiyo-e'' artists are also sometimes used.

Galleries in Japan, artists' groups, and painters themselves continue to apply the term ''Nihonga'' to works produced today, and indeed ''Nihonga'' painters today continue to be commissioned to create works for traditional contexts. For example, the temples of [[Kennin-ji]] and [[Kencho-ji|Kenchô-ji]] employed painter Koizumi Junsaku to create dragon paintings for their ceilings in 2000-2002.<ref>Takahashi Tomoko. "[http://www.i-sys.info/serial/interview/14/interview14.html Interview]. Webmagazine i-sys (アイシス). 14 January 2005. (Translation by [[User:LordAmeth]] available [http://chaari.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/koizumi-junsaku-interview/ here].)</ref> The period from roughly the 1880s to 1930s, however, can be discussed as the real core period of the development of ''Nihonga'', with the question of what constitutes ''Nihonga'' in the post-war period becoming much more contested and debatable, as many artists begin to experiment and to deviate further from either traditional themes and subjects or traditional media and techniques.

Galleries in Japan, artists' groups, and painters themselves continue to apply the term ''Nihonga'' to works produced today, and indeed ''Nihonga'' painters today continue to be commissioned to create works for traditional contexts. For example, the temples of [[Kennin-ji]] and [[Kencho-ji|Kenchô-ji]] employed painter Koizumi Junsaku to create dragon paintings for their ceilings in 2000-2002.<ref>Takahashi Tomoko. "[http://www.i-sys.info/serial/interview/14/interview14.html Interview]. Webmagazine i-sys (アイシス). 14 January 2005. (Translation by [[User:LordAmeth]] available [http://chaari.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/koizumi-junsaku-interview/ here].)</ref> The period from roughly the 1880s to 1930s, however, can be discussed as the real core period of the development of ''Nihonga'', with the question of what constitutes ''Nihonga'' in the post-war period becoming much more contested and debatable, as many artists begin to experiment and to deviate further from either traditional themes and subjects or traditional media and techniques.

==History==

==History==

===Origins===

===Origins===

''Nihonga'' emerged out of a reaction against movements to fully embrace Western painting styles and techniques as part of the surge towards modernity, discarding traditional Japanese painting as non-modern, as backwards and as being "of the past." A group called the [[Ryuchikai|Ryûchikai]], or "Dragon Pond Society," had been formed in [[1878]] by officials involved in Japan's participation in [[international expositions]] to promote the production of the type of works highly valued by Westerners, so as to enhance Japan's prestige and acceptance as a "modern" nation-state and equal member of the international community.

Though growing out of a fusion or synthesis of a number of painting traditions each of which were centuries old, the seeds for the ''Nihonga'' movement can be said to have been sown by the emergence of that which it railed against.  

[[Ernest Fenollosa]], who had come to Japan in 1878, along with his former student [[Okakura Kakuzo|Okakura Kakuzô]], founded the ''[[Kangakai]]'' ("Painting Appreciation Society") in [[1884]] after presenting a highly critical speech to the Ryûchikai two years earlier. The pair, along with a number of artists and others who constituted this Society, worked to combat the shift to Western modes of art, and to promote an appreciation of the beauty of the traditional arts, and the value of Japan maintaining or creating its own distinctive national tradition of painting, rather than simply emulating that of the West.

A group called the [[Ryuchikai|Ryûchikai]], or "Dragon Pond Society," had been formed in [[1878]] by [[Kuki Ryuichi|Kuki Ryûichi]] and a number of other officials involved in Japan's participation in [[international expositions]] to promote the production of the type of works highly valued by Westerners, so as to enhance Japan's prestige and acceptance as a "modern" nation-state and equal member of the international community.

To be clear, it was certainly not the case that schools of traditional painting had died out or stopped entirely at this time, or that Kanô, Rinpa, Tosa, ''ukiyo-e'', and literati painters had put down their brushes to pick up Western-style brushes for oils. All of these schools, and others, continued, to varying degrees in Tokyo, Kyoto, and elsewhere, but most were in sharp decline. Fenollosa did not regard ''ukiyo-e'' or certain other styles particularly highly, but was strongly interested in [[Buddhist art]] and in Kanô school painting, and worked with [[Kano Hogai|Kanô Hôgai]] to create a new national form of Japanese painting, which would incorporate Western techniques such as shading and modeling of forms, light and shadow, and linear perspective, and would focus on inherently Japanese themes which might appeal throughout the country. He focused especially on Buddhist imagery, believing this to be something which was innately Japanese and meaningful throughout Japan. Hôgai's "Kannon as Merciful Mother" (1883) and "Fudô Myôô" (1887) are two examples of this style envisioned and championed by Fenollosa.

[[Ernest Fenollosa]], who had come to Japan in 1878, along with his former student [[Okakura Kakuzo|Okakura Kakuzô]], founded the ''[[Kangakai]]'' ("Painting Appreciation Society") in [[1884]] after presenting a highly critical speech to the Ryûchikai two years earlier. The pair, along with a number of artists and others who constituted this Society, worked to combat the shift to Western modes of art, and to promote an appreciation of the beauty of the traditional arts, and the value of Japan maintaining or creating its own distinctive national tradition of painting, rather than simply emulating that of the West.<ref>Though credited with an extremely influential role in the promotion of the appreciation of Japanese artistic traditions at this time, Fenollosa and Okakura were not the only ones, nor the first ones, to advocate such positions. Italian engraver [[Edoardo Chiossone]] had suggested to the [[Meiji government]] a few years prior to Fenollosa's arrival in Japan that the government ought to perform surveys of historical sites, ancient monuments, and artistic treasures.</ref>

 

Fenollosa did not regard ''ukiyo-e'' or certain other styles particularly highly, but was strongly interested in [[Buddhist art]] and in Kanô school painting, and worked with [[Kano Hogai|Kanô Hôgai]] to create a new national form of Japanese painting, which would incorporate Western techniques such as shading and modeling of forms, light and shadow, and linear perspective, and would focus on inherently Japanese themes which might appeal throughout the country. He focused especially on Buddhist imagery, believing this to be something which was innately Japanese and meaningful throughout Japan. Hôgai's "Kannon as Merciful Mother" (1883) and "Fudô Myôô" (1887) are two examples of this style envisioned and championed by Fenollosa.

Fenollosa and Okakura founded the ''[[Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko|Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô]]'' (Tokyo School of Fine Arts) in [[1889]], the first art school in Japan dedicated to teaching traditional painting styles and methods. This represented a dramatic change from the traditional studio system of art education, in which artists studied closely and intensively under a single master, and in which schools or styles were strictly separate. Traditionally one might study under a particular Kanô artist in his personal atelier, becoming inserted into his lineage of teachers and disciples, and being dismissed from his tutelage if one began to practice under a master of, for example, ''ukiyo-e'' or the Tosa school. Here, elements of all of these schools of painting<ref>Initially the school did not teach literati painting, but this, as well as Western modes of painting would later be added to the curriculum.</ref> - in ink and mineral pigments on paper or silk - were combined into a single new "school" or style of painting, called ''Nihonga'', and classes more closely resembled the Western mode of art education; students studied under a number of different teachers, and learned more directly and more quickly (rather than merely learning by observation, only progressing to copying, and then much later to producing one's own original compositions after lengthy periods). Many of the most prominent Tokyo ''Nihonga'' painters of the time, including Kanô Hôgai, [[Hashimoto Gaho|Hashimoto Gahô]], and [[Yokoyama Taikan]], taught at the school at one time or another.

Fenollosa and Okakura founded the ''[[Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko|Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkô]]'' (Tokyo School of Fine Arts) in [[1889]], the first art school in Japan dedicated to teaching traditional painting styles and methods. This represented a dramatic change from the traditional studio system of art education, in which artists studied closely and intensively under a single master, and in which schools or styles were strictly separate. Traditionally one might study under a particular Kanô artist in his personal atelier, becoming inserted into his lineage of teachers and disciples, and being dismissed from his tutelage if one began to practice under a master of, for example, ''ukiyo-e'' or the Tosa school. Here, elements of all of these schools of painting<ref>Initially the school did not teach literati painting, but this, as well as Western modes of painting would later be added to the curriculum.</ref> - in ink and mineral pigments on paper or silk - were combined into a single new "school" or style of painting, called ''Nihonga'', and classes more closely resembled the Western mode of art education; students studied under a number of different teachers, and learned more directly and more quickly (rather than merely learning by observation, only progressing to copying, and then much later to producing one's own original compositions after lengthy periods). Many of the most prominent Tokyo ''Nihonga'' painters of the time, including Kanô Hôgai, [[Hashimoto Gaho|Hashimoto Gahô]], and [[Yokoyama Taikan]], taught at the school at one time or another.

===Kyoto Nihonga===

===Kyoto Nihonga===

Though Yokoyama Taikan, Hishida Shunsô, [[Yasuda Yukihiko]], and [[Imamura Shiko]], among others, spent time in Kyoto and [[Nara]], teaching, painting, and studying ancient and historical treasures, Kyoto had vibrant and active neo-traditional movements of its own, more directly linked to the continuation, or transformation, of lineages of painters trained in the [[Maruyama school|Maruyama]] and [[Shijo school|Shijô schools]]. As a result, the line between ''Nihonga'' and what came before is more blurred as it applies to Kyoto painters, many of whom are included among ''ukiyo-e'' artists (e.g. [[Kawanabe Kyosai|Kawanabe Kyôsai]]) or literati painters (e.g. [[Tomioka Tessai]]) in accounts of Edo period art, and also sometimes described as ''Nihonga'' artists. Similarly, literati painting in and around Kyoto is considered in some accounts to have continued straight into the 20th century; an exhibition entitled "Literati Modern" organized by the Honolulu Academy of the Arts included a great many artists who are commonly labeled as ''Nihonga'' artists.<ref>Berry, Paul and Michiyo Morioka (eds.) ''Literati Modern: Bunjinga from Late Edo to Twentieth-Century Japan''. Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2008.</ref>

Though Yokoyama Taikan, Hishida Shunsô, [[Yasuda Yukihiko]], and [[Imamura Shiko]], among others, spent time in Kyoto and [[Nara]], teaching, painting, and studying ancient and historical treasures, Kyoto had vibrant and active neo-traditional movements of its own, more directly linked to the continuation, or transformation, of lineages of painters in a variety of traditions, especially those trained in the [[Maruyama school|Maruyama]] and [[Shijo school|Shijô schools]], which had been leading the way in incorporating aspects of Western techniques and modes, including naturalism, sketches from life, and the modeling of volume, since the mid-18th century.

 

All in all, Kyoto saw far less cultural & social disruption in the 1850s-1870s than did Tokyo. As a result, the line between ''Nihonga'' and what came before is more blurred as it applies to Kyoto painters, many of whom are included among ''ukiyo-e'' artists (e.g. [[Kawanabe Kyosai|Kawanabe Kyôsai]]) or literati painters (e.g. [[Tomioka Tessai]]) in accounts of Edo period art, and also sometimes described as ''Nihonga'' artists. Similarly, literati painting in and around Kyoto is considered in some accounts to have continued straight into the 20th century; an exhibition entitled "Literati Modern" organized by the Honolulu Academy of the Arts included a great many artists who are commonly labeled as ''Nihonga'' artists.<ref>Berry, Paul and Michiyo Morioka (eds.) ''Literati Modern: Bunjinga from Late Edo to Twentieth-Century Japan''. Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2008.</ref>

A leading figure in the emergence of ''Nihonga'' in Kyoto was [[Takeuchi Seiho|Takeuchi Seihô]], who studied under Maruyama-Shijô painter [[Kono Bairei|Kôno Bairei]] and who is perhaps best known for his "Moon Over Venice" (1904), which is done, of course, entirely in traditional materials and format (ink on paper hanging scroll), but in rather Western styles, the work resembling to a great extent depictions of the same site by the English painter J.M.W. Turner.

A leading figure in the emergence of ''Nihonga'' in Kyoto was [[Takeuchi Seiho|Takeuchi Seihô]], who studied under Maruyama-Shijô painter [[Kono Bairei|Kôno Bairei]] and who is perhaps best known for his "Moon Over Venice" (1904), which is done, of course, entirely in traditional materials and format (ink on paper hanging scroll), but in rather Western styles, the work resembling to a great extent depictions of the same site by the English painter J.M.W. Turner.

[[Uemura Shoen|Uemura Shôen]], the first woman to receive the Order of Cultural Merit, and a student of Seihô's, was hardly the only prominent woman ''Nihonga'' artist active in Kyoto at this time; though very few, if any, women artists are cited as being prominent in Tokyo ''Nihonga'', Kyoto-based women ''Nihonga'' painters were fairly numerous and prominent. Nevertheless, Shôen has been described as "Japan's most notable female painter of the pre-World War II period,"<ref>Mason. p369.</ref> and is known (as are most female ''Nihonga'' artists) primarily for her ''bijinga''.

[[Uemura Shoen|Uemura Shôen]], the first woman to receive the Order of Cultural Merit, and a student of Seihô's, was hardly the only prominent woman ''Nihonga'' artist active in Kyoto at this time; though very few, if any, women artists are cited as being prominent in Tokyo ''Nihonga'', Kyoto-based women ''Nihonga'' painters were fairly numerous and prominent. Nevertheless, Shôen has been described as "Japan's most notable female painter of the pre-World War II period,"<ref>Mason. p369.</ref> and is known (as are most female ''Nihonga'' artists) primarily for her ''bijinga''.

==References==

==References==