Hoitsu (1761 - 1828 )
Born Tadamoto Sakai, the son of the second Lord of Sakai of Himeji castle in Harima Province, he worked primarily as a Rinpa painter. He received a highly varied art education, beginning his training in Kyoto in the Kano school. He then turned to ukiyo-e and the tutelage of Toyoharu Utagawa, followed by Maruyama painting with Nangaku Watanabe, before joining the Nanga school and So Shiseki. Under the recommendation of Buncho Tani, Hoitsu finally settled in the Rinpa school. In 1797, he became a Buddhist priest, devoting two decades to his painting and the study of the life and works of Korin. As the Sakai family had financially supported Korin for a period of time, they had an expansive collection of his work. During this time, Hoitsu completed an illustrated book of his own designs, Oson Gafu (1817), as well as two influential books recreating the painting of Korin (Korin Hyakuzu) (1815) and Kenzan (Kenzan Iboku Gafu) (1823) as woodblock prints. Hoitsu is noted for his careful balance of decorative style and elegant refinement of color and line. His prints can be found in prominent collections worldwide, such as the British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Tokyo National Museum.
Meiji Period Prints (1868-1912)
Meiji-period woodblock prints reflect an era of change. In 1853, the arrival of Commodore Perry’s black ships brought over 250 years of Japanese isolation to an abrupt end. The following year, as Japan engaged in international trade, Yokohama-e (Yokohama pictures) captured an influx of unfamiliar peoples, places and things entering Japan through Yokohama harbor. By 1868, the Imperial line attained control of the country under Emperor Meiji, terminating the feudal rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate and dissipating the culture of the floating world. Under the emperor, national modernization progressed rapidly. From Western-style clothes and pastimes, to exciting new inventions from overseas, Japan absorbed the massive influx of the foreign and developed a distinctly Japanese modern identity. While photography and lithography gained popularity at this time, the woodblock print continued to serve as a powerful medium. Meiji period artists made sense of a transitioning world with a familiar medium.
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