Hosada Eishi (1756-1829) and After Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-1691) Japanese, Pair of Woodblock Prints. The kanji on the print of the demure woman indicates work by Eishi, while the unsigned scene in a hut is a woodblock after a painting by the 17th Century master Mitsuoki. In matching bamboo frames.
Overall: (each) 16 3/4 X 12 3/4 in.
Sight: (each) 11 1/2 X 7 1/2 in.
#3917, 3918 .
Hosoda Chōbunsai Eishi (also known as Tokitomi, Taminosuke, and Yasaburo) was born in 1756 into a prestigious samurai family that was part of the Fujiwara clan. In 1772 he became the head of the family when his father died, and by 1781 he held a position in the palace of the shōgun Tokugawa Ieharu. One of the first names he used for a short time on his works literally translates to "Pupil of Kano Eisen'in Michinobu," indicating where and when he began to study art after giving up his position with the shōgun. How Eishi took to art is unknown, but the Kanō school accepted him readily in 1784. He first trained under Torii Bunryūsai, an ukiyo-e artist about whom almost nothing is known except for what Eishi either wrote or depicted of him. He remained unofficially in the shōgun's service until 1789, and thereafter left his family in the hands of his adopted son Tokitoyo, giving up his samurai rank apparently due to his slowly deteriorating health. His early works were colored nishiki-e prints, followed mostly by Bijin-ga portraits of tall, thin, graceful beauties akin to the works of Kiyonaga and Utamaro. He humorous wound up in a sort of "arms race" with his contemporaries, as they each drew taller and more slender women until, in his final prints, their heads were comically balanced on rapier-thin necks. After dabbling in shunga erotica he was honored to create a painting for the collection of Empress Go-Sakuramachi in 1800, which earned him the honorary title Jibukyō. This allowed him to establish his own school in 1801, at which time he gave up print designing to devote himself solely to painting. Today his later paintings, particularly his portraits, are seen as prime examples of the high Japanese art of his day, and are some of the best representations of court and common life from the time. Many of his works are on permanent display in modern collections at museums around the world, including the British Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo. Eishi died in 1829 and was buried at Rengeji Temple with the Buddhist name Kōsetsuin Denkaishin Eishi Nichizui Koji, and although he achieved much personal success few of his students are remember, having mostly emulated his style rather than making innovations of their own.
Tosa Mitsuoki was born on November 21st, 1617 in Sakai, a port city in the Osaka Prefecture. His father, Tosa Mitsunori (1583-1638), had carried on the Tosa school from Mitsuoki's great-grandfather, Tosa Mitsunobu (1434-1525) after his own father chose not to become an artist, but Mitsuoki soon overshadowed his father and all the artists before him back to the 9th Century in popularity and innovation in painting. Mitsuoki moved the school to Kyoto in order to be closer to the Imperial court and gain their status back after the Kano school had become the official court painters (edokoro azukari) during the Muromachi Period (1338-1573). He cleverly painted for anyone and everyone, and sought to have his works seen by as many as possible, which eventually caught the eye of the Emperor Go-Mizunoo. The Emperor requested that he become the official ceremonial fans sensu for the court in 1634, and twenty years later he finally achieved his goal of becoming the new edokoro azukari. Such was his influence that his children and grandchildren both continued to hold the position into the late Edo Period (1700-1868). He emulated both Chinese paintings and the Kano school form, crafting a style that curried favor with the court as well as the merchant class, but the lack of innovation by many of his descendants due to his unparalleled popularity in his lifetime led the school to fall out of favor by the early 19th Century, and caused many scholars to confuse their works due to close similarities. In 1690 Mitsuoki dictated to his son The Authoritative Summary of the Rules of Japanese Painting (Honchou gahou daiden), a book detailing many Tosa painting techniques that had been traditionally handed down orally, which also helped solidify his legacy but ironically trapped his children in a stagnant style. He died on November 14th, 1691, and in the late 19th Century there was a revival of his style under two artist named Tanaka Totsugen and Reizei Tamechika, who specialized in copying Mitsuoki's work and revitalizing the narrative-driven Yamato-e style that Mitsuoki was instrumental in developing by harnessing his sharp colors, dynamic movement, and distinct lines.
