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Through Bairei, Seihô first began to move in Kyoto's more elite artistic circles, meeting many of the most prominent professional painters in the city. Only two years after beginning to teach Seihô, Bairei in [[1883]] assigned him to help those students who were having difficulty, and shortly afterwards secured a position for Seihô to teach formally at the [[Kyoto Prefecture Painting School]] which Bairei helped establish in [[1880]]. Bairei also helped Seihô get his work shown at formal exhibitions, but at first it did not attract much attention; Bairei also took Seihô along with him on various high-end commissions, including one when Bairei produced records of a [[Higashi Honganji]] abbot's journeys in the [[Hokuriku region]].
Through Bairei, Seihô first began to move in Kyoto's more elite artistic circles, meeting many of the most prominent professional painters in the city. Only two years after beginning to teach Seihô, Bairei in [[1883]] assigned him to help those students who were having difficulty, and shortly afterwards secured a position for Seihô to teach formally at the [[Kyoto Prefecture Painting School]] which Bairei helped establish in [[1880]]. Bairei also helped Seihô get his work shown at formal exhibitions, but at first it did not attract much attention; Bairei also took Seihô along with him on various high-end commissions, including one when Bairei produced records of a [[Higashi Honganji]] abbot's journeys in the [[Hokuriku region]].
Seihô married Takayama Nami, the daughter of Takayama Ihei, a Nishijin textile merchant, in August [[1887]], and moved into a house across the street from his father's restaurant, which his father paid to have built. On this occasion, Bairei declared Seihô no longer a student, and now an independent painter in his own right.
Seihô married Takayama Nami, the daughter of Takayama Ihei, a Nishijin textile merchant, in August [[1887]], and moved into a house across the street from his father's restaurant, which his father paid to have built. On this occasion, Bairei declared Seihô no longer a student, and now an independent painter in his own right. Embarking on his own, Seihô began acquiring patrons not only from among local Kyoto merchants, but also among those from the nearby provinces, who traveled into Kyoto regularly to settle accounts; one of his more major contacts came about through his wife, Nami, who was close friends with the wife of [[Iida Tojiro|Iida Tôjirô]], who headed [[Takashimaya]]'s studio for artists. Seihô produced numerous designs for Takashimaya tapestries and other high-end textiles, including some which were produced on commission from the Imperial Household.
Seihô made his first and only trip to Europe in [[1900]]-[[1901]]. While there, he tried his hand at [[yoga|oil painting]], and developed a fondness in particular for the works of JMW Turner and Barbizon school painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot.
After his return, he produced a number of ''[[byobu|byôbu]]'' (folding screen) paintings aimed at commercial sale, in order to help fund the purchase of instructional materials for his teaching practice.
After his return, he focused for a time on the production of ''[[byobu|byôbu]]'' (folding screen) paintings aimed at commercial sale, in order to help fund the purchase of instructional materials for his teaching practice. Continuing his relationship with Takashimaya, and active involvement in Kyoto's art world, he produced designs for two textile pieces which ended up winning Takashimaya first prize at the [[1903]] [[Fifth Domestic Exposition]] in [[Osaka]]. These were an embroidered wall hanging depiction a lion, and a design of Mt. Fuji which accompanied works by [[Tsuji Kako|Tsuji Kakô]] and [[Yamamoto Shunkyo|Yamamoto Shunkyô]] depicting, respectively, a scene in Switzerland, and Niagara Falls, as a "views of scenes around the world" triptych. The three artists were later commissioned by Takashimaya to produce another triptych on the same theme; this one included one of Seihô's most famous works, "Moon over Venice," depicting the Grand Canal in Venice in a style reminiscent of JMW Turner, but employing traditional Japanese ink painting media. The ''yûzen'' pieces based on these designs were shown at the [[Japan-British Exhibition]] in London in [[1910]].
Though his works vary greatly, in many of his works, he is said to have "liked to work with a limited palate [sic] of subtle gradation and relied upon the tactile quality of the picture plane to animate the surface and enliven the scene."<ref name=conant72>Conant. p72.</ref> Combining the brushwork style of the [[Maruyama school|Maruyama]]-Shijô schools of traditional ink painting with elements of Western painting methods, he created his own distinct style for painting landscapes and other subjects.
Though his works vary greatly, in many of his works, Seihô is said to have "liked to work with a limited palate [sic] of subtle gradation and relied upon the tactile quality of the picture plane to animate the surface and enliven the scene."<ref name=conant72>Conant. p72.</ref> Combining the brushwork style of the [[Maruyama school|Maruyama]]-Shijô schools of traditional ink painting with elements of Western painting methods, he created his own distinct style for painting landscapes and other subjects.
Always quite prominent and active in the Kyoto art world, Seihô regularly served as a jury member for the [[Bunten]] from its establishment in [[1907]] onwards, and earned numerous awards for his own works at various exhibitions. He was named an [[Imperial Household Artist]]<!--帝室技芸員--> in 1914, and was commissioned by the Imperial Household Agency to produce a pair of screens commemorating the coronation of the Taishô Emperor.
Always quite prominent and active in the Kyoto art world, Seihô regularly served as a jury member for the [[Bunten]] from its establishment in [[1907]] onwards, and earned numerous awards for his own works at various exhibitions. He was named an [[Imperial Household Artist]]<!--帝室技芸員--> in 1914, and was commissioned by the Imperial Household Agency to produce a pair of screens commemorating the coronation of the Taishô Emperor.
Seihô received high praise from [[Kaburaki Kiyotaka]], a prominent Tokyo painter in his own right; Kiyotaka is quoted as saying "In today's painting world, if we were to find a ''meijin'' (master artist), it can be no one but Seihô. ... There is a good chance that Seihô is the very last ''meijin''."<ref name=conant72/>
Seihô received high praise from [[Kaburaki Kiyotaka]], a prominent Tokyo painter in his own right; Kiyotaka is quoted as saying "In today's painting world, if we were to find a ''meijin'' (master artist), it can be no one but Seihô. ... There is a good chance that Seihô is the very last ''meijin''."<ref name=conant72/>
He built a house near the temple of [[Kodai-ji|Kôdai-ji]] in Kyoto's [[Higashiyama]] district in 1929, and in 1937, along with [[Yokoyama Taikan]], became one of the first two Nihonga artists to be awarded the Order of Cultural Merit. He died five years later.
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==References==