The art fair Tokyo2012

The art fair Tokyo has started!

At Shukado booth, you can see the works of  blow painters;

Yasunari Ikenaga

Kiyoko Abe

Toko Okamoto

We are looking forword to your visit.

The Art Fair Tokyo

Dear customers and friends, 

Good afternoon from Kenshi of Shukado. 

Finally, it seems that winter has gone and spring is here. 
Plum trees are in full bloom now, which are almost one month later than usual.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t issue newsletter last week. 
It’s been really hectic with preparation for the Art Fair Tokyo and next catalog. 

Actually, I know it’s too late for advertising, the art fair is being held from this Friday (30th March) to Sunday (1st April). 
Last year, the devastating earthquake forced the delay of the scheduled date to July though, this year, it will be held as has happened in the past.

In this art fair, our gallery will display figure paintings by the modern artists such as Kaburaki Kiyokata and three contemporary artists; Ikenaga Yasunari, Abe Kiyoko, and Okamoto Toko. 
Since all the paintings are tour de force, I know it is difficult for most of you to visit it during the exhibition though, please keep an eye on it!

You can see the information of our exhibition and the art fair from the following url:
Please check them out.
(Exhibition information)
http://www.syukado.jp/jp/gallery/20120330artfair.html (Japanese)
http://artfairtokyo.com/en/?p=666
(Art fair information)
http://artfairtokyo.com/en/

If there are any artworks you are interested in, please feel free to contact us. 
See you next week!

Auspicious pictures

Happy new year from Shukado.

We are sorry for not having written in our blog for a long time.

Today I am going to write about auspicious pictures.

This Ukiyo-e was depicted about ｔhe seven Gods of good fortune by Ochiai Yoshiiku.

They are believed to arrive on a ship full of treasures and bring people forturn.

In the picture some of Gods is bringing money boxes and a red sea beam.

The red sea beam has long been regarded as an auspicious fish because of its color

In Japan red is a lucky color.

And also children enjoying kiting is depicted.

Kite flying is traditionally done during the New Year season to wish children’s good

health and happiness. This was a typical New Year’s scene in Japan.

Yokohama-e

The events which happened over the period from arrival of Perry in 1853 to open of Yokohama Port six years after it let Japanese people hold much interest in foreign countries. In such times when journalism played an important role, painting which could appeal visually was considered an effective mean, publishers competed publishing Ukiyo-e depicted Yokohama. This is the background of “Yokohama-e”.

Issen Yoshikazu "Kitchen in a foreigner's residence"

$350.00

Most depicted in the beginning were so-called “Foreigners’ customs and manners”. Japanese people had an interest in oversea products they had never seen such as exotic costumes and belongings. However, in the times when making a contact with foreigners was not easy for common Japanese people, all of the painters didn’t see such things actually, so many artworks were depicted referring to illustration inserted in newspaper issued oversea. 

Issen Yoshikazu "Amerikashunouchi"

$3500.00

As an example of Yokohama-e in the initial term, “Kanagawa Yokohama Shinkaiko Zu (=Picture of New Port in Yokohama, Kanagawa Pref.)” drawn by Utagawa Sadahide, with a changing seal dated February 1860 is known well. From the date to 1872, Yokohama-e kept being drawn for about twelve years. Over the half artworks were produced intensively in 1860 and 1861, then the number reduced as the boom faded away. 

Issen Yoshikazu "A foreigner loving her children"

$350.00 

Also, subjects of painting changed from western people to landscape of Yokohama or western-style residences, and the former began to be drawn in only in the background of the latter. In Meiji period, Japanese government positively introduced foreign products such as a steam locomotive, at the same time, Japanese people’s interest transferred from Yokohama to Western culture which they could incorporate into life. As of this, the style of Yokohama-e disappeared practically (=”Kaika-e” appeared in exchange).

Ichiryusai Yoshitoyo "A Russian loving his wife"

$350.00 

 Yoshitora is the painter who drew Yokohama-e most, leaving over 150 artworks behind as long as evidenced today, and Yoshikazu and Sadahide are also considered to have drawn over 100 Yokohama-e respectively. Yokohama-e which was intensively published like an enthusiastic transmissible phenomenon can be said an interesting material which shows how Japanese people saw other countries from the end of Bakufu to Meiji period. 

Text by Tashiro Yuichiro

Happy New Year, Dear Customers and Friends!

How was your New Year holiday?

I have been in my grand-ma’s home in Kyoto. Japan was hit by a heat wave in last summer, and now tortured by chilly cold. Kyoto surrounded by mountains was also terribly cold, but I enjoyed peaceful moments watching TV and eating New Year feast.

For Japanese people, New Year recalls a visit to shrine. I guess a lot of people have already visited one of those for new year’s wish. As we have a word “Yaoyorozu no Kami (=eight million gods)”, we have believed there are so many gods in Japan since ancient era. And these gods have been chosen as subjects of paintings. This time, I would like to introduce you artworks featuring gods worshipped in Japan. 

 Akizuki Akira  Ama-no-Uzume

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper/sealed/box inscription

JPY. 165,000-　117.2 × 39.0 （202.0 × 52.6） cm

  

The first is “Amenouzumenomikoto” by Akizuki Akira who is known for Buddhist painting with original taste. He depicted in this painting a goddess who appears in a legend called “Iwatogakure”. Iwato means a cave where Amaterasuomikami, a goddess of sun, withdrew in anger at her younger brother, Susanoonomikoto’s repeated violence. Because of this, the world blacked out, and disaster occurred one after another. Amenouzume, another goddess, saved this crisis. She enthusiastically danced with her breasts exposed in front of the cave, applauded by a lot of gods assisting there. Wondering, Amaterasuomikami slightly opened the entrance, then got dragged out from the cave, and light came back to the world. From her fabulous performance, Amenouzume is now worshipped as goddess of entertainment. Her dance depicted in the artwork would entertain not only gods of ancient times but also contemporary viewers. 

 

 Kajita Hanko  Benzaiten

Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk/signed and sealed

 JPY. 300,000-  124.7 × 50.0 （212.7 × 65.5） cm

The next is “Benzaiten” with beautiful profile. Benzaiten who is known as one of seven gods in Japan derives from Hindu goddess called Saraswati. Probably, this artwork was depicted after Saraswati rather than Benzaiten. The music instrument she holds in hand is a kind of lute called Vina. The bird like goose in the bottom of the screen is a sacred bird called Hamsa, giving a ride to Saraswati. The painter is Kajita Hanko. He is well known as master of brilliant pupils including Maeda Seison, Kobayashi Kokei, or Okumura Togyu today, but this artwork proves his outstanding technique and representation as painter. 

 Kaho Akira  Nachi falls

Framed, ink and color on paper/ signed and sealed

JPY. 450,000-  51.9 × 32.2 （68.2 × 48.5） cm

The last is “Nachi” by Kaho Akira. Nachi Fall located in Kumano, southern part of Wakayama Prefecture is the longest fall in Japan, and from the dignified appearance, it has been worshipped since ancient era. The name of Kumano began to be recognized after an emperor and a retired emperor in the late Heian period and the early Kamakura period did imperial visit to Kumano frequently. In the background, there was spreading of a manifestation theory called “Honjisuijyakusetsu” which taught God was avatar of Buddha, making people believe that the whole region where located Kumano was pure land. 

Worshipping Kumano later spread to common people, and at the peak, a mass of pilgrims were compared to a line of ants.

Nachi Fall which Kaho Akira depicted is a subtle world with white and black keynote. The beauty and dynamism emphasizes Nachi Fall’s presence as object of worship.

This is all I wanted to introduce, but now we know there are so many gods with different background have been worshipped such a long time. And it also proves that Japan has been accepting so many different culture and religion from other countries. In Japan, we celebrate New Year visiting shrine only one week after celebrating Christmas, and it often causes antipathy that Japanese people are unfaithful. But it might be showing Japanese people’s generosity in some way. 

This year also, Shukado is planning a lot of projects including catalog, news letter, and exhibition. We would appreciate your continuous support. 

text by Okubo Kenshi

Yamakawa Shuho――Three birds under Kiyokata

Sudden transformation from the extreme heat, it comes to be the season growing chilly without a coat. This year, it seems that we can not expect the beautiful autumn color of leaves. Yet, I would like to enjoy this short autumn with art and foods.

 

 This time, I would like to introduce Yamakawa Shuho who probably is familiar to you as the artist frequently shown in our catalogs. 

Shuho was born in Kyoto, 1898. He moved into Tokyo at the age of three, and started his career as painter at fifteen when he became a pupil of Ikegami Shuho. The name of Shuho should have been granted by his master. He later became a pupil of Kaburaki Kiyokata, and rapidly made progress enough to be counted as one of “three birds under Kiyokata”, along with Ito Shinsui and Terashima Shimei. It can be said that charms in the beauty Shuho depicted are its common familiarity and purity. They are shown in “Beauty”, one of our new items I would like to introduce to you. The girl’s look gives an impression that she is still child. But her brave-looking posture has a breath-taking charm. The pattern of kimono might be white camellia. You could feet Shuho’s elaborate brush strokes in her posture and hands.

  Beauty

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, signed and sealed

JPY. 100,000-   130.0×35.8 (221.2×49.2) cm

The next new item I introduce is “Morning Bath” with a typical beauty Shuho depicted. The subject is an adult woman, probably that’s why she has matured charms compared to the girl in “Beauty” mentioned above. Shuho’s wife was a reputed beauty, and he left a lot of paintings depicted his wife, such as “Hotaru (A firefly)” owned by Noma Museum. The woman in this painting might be his wife too. 

 Morning bath

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, signed and sealed

wood box titled, signed and sealed by the artist

JPY. 350,000-   127.1×34.8 (214.3×49.2) cm

Shuho who grew up in downtown Tokyo was familiar with dance and music since his childhood, and left a lot of paintings taken the subject from dance performance. The last item I introduce, “Sambaso Dancer”, is one of those. This song is considered the oldest in Sambaso, but the lyricist and composer are unknown. As you could guess from the title, the most interesting part is the feminine dance and light steps. This painting has an interesting composition with the mask of old man, and looks adorable.

 Sambaso Dancer

Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, signed and sealed

wood box titled, signed and sealed by the artist

JPY. 240,000-   26.3×52.3 (146.5×70.3) cm

In the art world, an artist’s ability and the market price don’t match sometimes. Although Shuho had an ability enough to be told “Shinsui in east, Shuho in west”, his name didn’t spread much because of his young death. But, thanks to this, the price is still reasonable. We would be happy if you could realize how wonderful his artworks are. 

text by Okubo Kenshi

Green in the rain

Raining day after day makes us a bit unhappy.
Today I visited from hotel to hotel for distributing our latest catalog in the rain. It is for their guests who look for the place to find Japanese fine arts. Then, I just came back to the office with pictures to share with you. I found fresh green in the central Tokyo.

 Waving azalea shrubberies (Bank of Japan, Nihonbashi)

Green earth?? (Shinjuku Park Tower)

 Entrance of a bar (near from our gallery Shukado, Ginza)