Tokyo Art and Winter: Richness of Faith (Buddhism and Shintoism)
Tokyo Art and Winter: Richness of Faith (Buddhism and Shintoism)
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
All three stunning prints focus on winter, the role of faith (Buddhism and Shintoism), and other angles related to the environs of Tokyo.
The first stunning print is by Inoue Yasuji (1864-1889). He sadly died when in his mid-twenties. Therefore, one can only imagine the heights he would have reached if life had been kinder.
The Ota Memorial Museum of Art says, “Ukiyo-e artists such as Inoue Yasuji (1864-89) and Ogura Ryūson (date of birth and death unknown) followed after Kiyochika. Although the popularity of ray painting lasted only five years, it developed new possibilities for woodblock prints, and it should be regarded as the forerunner of the genre of “shin-hanga” (new prints) in the Taisho and Showa eras that have been the focus of much attention in recent years…”
Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) produced the second print. He focuses on the Zojoji Buddhist Temple in Tokyo – a place for quiet Buddhist contemplation and where the connection of time continues to attract the faithful.
The Zojoji Buddhist website says, “Zojoji was relocated to the present site in 1598 after Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, entered Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1590 to establish his provincial government. After the start of the Edo Period when the Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan, Zojoji became the family temple of the Tokugawa family and an unparalleled grand cathedral was built. Zojoji also served as an administrative center to govern the religious studies and activities of Jodo shu…”
Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) created the final print where the natural angle of Shintoism fuses naturally within the landscape of the environs of Tokyo. This is reflected by people walking by the Sumida River in the snow.
Hiroshige famously wrote:
I leave my brush in the East,
And set forth on my journey.
I shall see the famous places in the Western Land.
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