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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.  

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.  

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.

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 - that is, [[yoga|oil paintings]], in certain styles, and of certain subjects - so as to enhance Japan's prestige and acceptance as a "modern" nation-state and equal member of the international community. This was compounded by government interest in Western artistic techniques as a means of capturing the world realistically, something with profound practical utility in a variety of fields, including engineering and documentary purposes.

[[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>

 

Credit for encouraging this shift is usually given chiefly to [[Ernest Fenollosa]], who had come to Japan in 1878, along with his former student [[Okakura Kakuzo|Okakura Kakuzô]], though surely such a change involved a complex set of actors and influences beyond the actions of Fenollosa and Okakura alone.

 

The two 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 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.