contributor
27,126
edits
Changes
From SamuraiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
*''Born: c. 1800''
*''Born: c. 1800''
*''Died: c. 1866''
*''Died: c. 1866''
*''Other Names: O-ei''
*''Other Names'': お栄 ''(Oei)''
*''Japanese'': [[葛飾]]応為 ''(Katsushika Oui)''
*''Japanese'': [[葛飾]]応為 ''(Katsushika Oui)''
Very little is known about her biography, and none of her paintings are inscribed with a date, but Ôi is believed to have been born around 1800. She had one brother, Sakijûrô, and perhaps a sister named Onao, in addition to a half-brother and two half-sisters, Hokusai's children from his first marriage. Ôi married [[Minamizawa Tomei|Minamizawa Tômei]], the owner of a shop specializing in [[mizuabura|oils for hair]], and the two studied together under the painter [[Tsutsumi Torin III|Tsutsumi Tôrin III]]. Following the death of Hokusai's second wife in [[1828]], after she had been married for less than ten years, Ôi divorced Tômei and moved back in with her father, looking after him and assisting him the remainder of his life.
Very little is known about her biography, and none of her paintings are inscribed with a date, but Ôi is believed to have been born around 1800. She had one brother, Sakijûrô, and perhaps a sister named Onao, in addition to a half-brother and two half-sisters, Hokusai's children from his first marriage. Ôi married [[Minamizawa Tomei|Minamizawa Tômei]], the owner of a shop specializing in [[mizuabura|oils for hair]], and the two studied together under the painter [[Tsutsumi Torin III|Tsutsumi Tôrin III]]. Following the death of Hokusai's second wife in [[1828]], after she had been married for less than ten years, Ôi divorced Tômei and moved back in with her father, looking after him and assisting him the remainder of his life.
There are several theories as to the origin or meaning of the name, Ôi, with which she signed her paintings. The name takes a character from Hokusai's [[art-name]] Iitsu, which he began using around 1820, with the two characters Ô-i thus meaning "loyal to I[itsu]." Her name has also said to come as a result of her father constantly calling her, shouting "''ôi, ôi''," a Japanese equivalent to "hey, hey!" Finally, her given name was Ei, with an honorary 'O' tacked on in front as was quite typical for women's names in the Edo period. Thus, she often signed her works "Ôi Ei-jo," ''jo'' meaning "woman" or "daughter."
There are several theories as to the origin or meaning of the name, Ôi, with which she signed her paintings. The name takes a character from Hokusai's [[art-name]] Iitsu, which he began using around 1820, with the two characters Ô-i thus meaning "loyal to I[itsu]." Her name has also said to come as a result of her father constantly calling her, shouting "''ôi, ôi''," a Japanese equivalent to "hey, hey!" Finally, her given name was Ei, with an honorary 'O' tacked on in front as was quite typical for women's names in the Edo period. Thus, she often signed her works "Ôi Ei-jo," ''jo'' meaning "woman" or "daughter." Sometimes she replaced the character ''ei'' in her name, meaning "flourishing," with a different character, still pronounced ''ei'', but meaning "tipsy," a poke at her own love of saké, in contrast to her temperate father.
She is the only one of Hokusai's daughters known to have lived into her old age. A painting by Hokusai's pupil [[Tsuyuki Kosho|Tsuyuki Kôshô]], from around 1842 or 1843, depicts her at around age 40, with her father, age 84. She is said to have been the only person by her father's side when he died, roughly five years later, in [[1849]], at the age of 89, supposedly saying with his last words "let me live just ten more years, just five more years."
She is the only one of Hokusai's daughters known to have lived into her old age. A painting by Hokusai's pupil [[Tsuyuki Kosho|Tsuyuki Kôshô]], from around 1842 or 1843, depicts her at around age 40, with her father, age 84. She is said to have been the only person by her father's side when he died, roughly five years later, in [[1849]], at the age of 89, supposedly saying with his last words "let me live just ten more years, just five more years."
==Works==
==Works==
"Night Scene in the Yoshiwara" is perhaps the most famous of Ôi's paintings. The small painting, about 40cm wide, depicts the frontage (''harimise'') of a [[Yoshiwara]] [[chaya|teahouse]], identified as the Izumi-ya. Unlike the majority of traditional Japanese paintings, "Night Scene in the Yoshiwara" extensively employs techniques of light and shadow, as light emanates from lanterns, and from within the teahouse, illuminating some elements and leaving the rest in shadow. The artist hides her signature cleverly within the image, writing the characters ''O'', ''i'', and ''ei'' on three separate lanterns.
"Night Scene in the Yoshiwara" is perhaps the most famous of Ôi's paintings. The small painting, about 40cm wide, depicts the frontage (''harimise'') of a [[Yoshiwara]] [[chaya|teahouse]], identified as the Izumi-ya. Unlike the majority of traditional Japanese paintings, "Night Scene in the Yoshiwara" extensively employs techniques of light and shadow, as light emanates from lanterns, and from within the teahouse, illuminating some elements and leaving the rest in shadow. The artist hides her signature cleverly within the image, writing the characters ''O'', ''i'', and ''ei'' on three separate lanterns.
The [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]] holds in its collection a painting by Ôi depicting "Three Women Playing Musical Instruments";<ref>[http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/three-women-playing-musical-instruments-26487 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Accession Number 11.7689].</ref> the three have been identified as a young [[courtesan]] (''furisode shinzô'') playing the ''[[koto]]'', a [[geisha]] playing the [[shamisen]], and a townswoman playing the ''[[kokyu (instrument)|kokyû]]''.
The [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]] holds in its collection a painting by Ôi depicting "Three Women Playing Musical Instruments";<ref>[http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/three-women-playing-musical-instruments-26487 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Accession Number 11.7689].</ref> the three have been identified as a young [[courtesan]] (''furisode shinzô'') playing the ''[[koto]]'', a [[geisha]] playing the [[shamisen]], and a townswoman playing the ''[[kokyu (instrument)|kokyû]]''.
A painting of a "Woman at a Fulling Block under the Moon" bears the same signature and seal as the Boston piece. Possibly painted earlier in her career, around the 1820s, when she was still working on developing a style different from that of her father, this painting features far less play with light and shadow than some of her other works.
The Cleveland Museum of Art also possesses a painting bearing Ôi's signature. "[[Guan Yu]] Having his Arm Bled" depicts the ancient Chinese general allows himself to be bled, in order to prevent the poison from an enemy arrow from spreading through his body; meanwhile, he resolutely plays a game of ''[[go]]''. This work displays much of the same attention to light and shadow as some of Ôi's other works, and is interesting further for bearing one of her father's seals, an indication, perhaps, that Hokusai had entrusted her to produce this for a commission he had received.
Only two books are known which list Katsushika Ôi as their illustrator. One is an [[1847]] edition of an earlier encyclopedia edited by Takai Ranzan and entitled ''E-iri nichiyô onna chôhô-ki'' ("Illustrated Handbook for Daily Life for Women"). The other, ''Sencha tebiki no tane'' ("A Concise Dictionary of [[Sencha]]"), published the following year. No single-sheet prints by Ôi are known.
A number of other works, signed or sealed as ''Fumoto no sato'', or as ''Tatsu-jo'' (also read ''Toki-jo''), are known to be by one of Hokusai's daughters, and closely resemble the style of Ôi's other works, though they may have been painted by another of his daughters, either Omiyo, Onao, or Otetsu.
==References==
==References==
*Kobayashi Tadashi, Julie Nelson Davis (trans.). "The Floating World in Light and Shadow: Ukiyo-e Paintings by Hokusai's Daughter Oi." in Carpenter, John et al (eds). ''Hokusai and his Age''. Hotei Publishing, 2005. pp93-103.
*Kobayashi Tadashi and Julie Nelson Davis. "The Floating World in Light and Shadow: Ukiyo-e Paintings by Hokusai's Daughter Oi." in Carpenter, John et al (eds). ''Hokusai and his Age''. Hotei Publishing, 2005. pp93-103.
<references/>
<references/>
