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of painting in which they had been trained, such as the Tosa, Nanga, Maruyama-Shijo and Kano schools, with fashionable modern approaches to develop a hybrid form of popular art. The artists were not totally dedicated to the rules and traditions of these schools and deviated quite liberally according to the texts they were illustrating and the artistic trends of the time. Eventually, book illustrations would encompass all these aesthetic approaches to picture making, leading to an eclecticism of several styles that became typical of ukiyo-e.

      At the beginning of the seventeenth century, however, the Tosa school of painting, founded in the fifteenth century, was the dominant influence on ukiyo-e. Exponents of the Tosa school painted mostly for the court and for aristocratic patrons who favored classic scenes as well as Chinese-inspired themes and styles, such as bird and flower paintings. Their painting style was distinguished by flat decorative compositions with fine, detailed line work and brilliant colors. Although the new breed of ukiyo-e artists adopted some Tosa elements, one of the major differences between the evolving ukiyo-e and the classic Tosa illustrations was the treatment of the figure. Whereas in the early Tosa illustrations the figure was an incidental part of a large scene, in ukiyo-e the figure became the main focus of attention. Indeed, figures become so large as to take up the entire space, reducing the background to an accommodating sub-factor.

      As the seventeenth century drew to a close, there was a gradual transformation from Tosa-inspired illustrations to the more commonly accepted ukiyo-e tradition. This new era of pictorial illustration did not entirely abandon classical subjects, such as scenes of nature, but it focused on subjects that were more specific, more relevant to the everyday life of the patrons of ukiyo-e, especially in the major cities of Edo, Osaka and Kyoto, experiences that were distinct from the ostensibly more refined tastes of the ruling élite. It was a slow evolution but the enormity of it without doubt signaled a complete shake-up of the Japanese art world. It was at this time that we start to witness the Japanese culture that the West associates with Japan. The subject matter described the pleasures of living in the big cities— kabuki theater, sumo wrestling and, above all, the amorous adventures that awaited young men at the pleasure quarter.

      At this time, too, there were two distinct regional styles of ukiyo-e, the dominant Edo school, centered in the city of the same name, and the Kamigata style, from an area encompassing Kyoto and nearby Osaka, the former cultural and economic heart of Japan. Apart from the fact that the volume of Edo prints far outnumbered those published by the Kamigata artists, the main difference lay in the range of subject matter. Whereas Kamigata prints almost exclusively depicted kabuki actors, those from Edo portrayed the whole gamut of contemporary urban subject matter. Aesthetically, there was not much difference at this time between the two worlds. Moreover, lots of artists moved back and forth between the cities since they were all major publishing centers. It was only at the end of the eighteenth century that the distinct appearance of the Kamigata prints is more noticeable, especially in those featuring large heads of kabuki actors.

      Several big names are associated with ukiyo-e book illustrations. An important Kyoto illustrator at the beginning of the eighteenth century was Omori Yoshikiyo (active 1702–17). Even though little is known about his life, he produced some of the most remarkable images of the courtesan in the Shimabara district of Kyoto, the equivalent of the pleasure quarter in the more famous Yoshiwara of Edo.

      For much of the eighteenth century, the Torii samurai clan in Edo, initially producers of kabuki theater billboards, posters and other promotional materials, were highly influential in the ukiyoe depiction of actors and kabuki scenes. Led by Torii Kiyonobu I (1664–1729), who moved from Osaka to Edo in 1687 where he studied under Moronobu Hishikawa, among others, a greater emphasis on the energetic action and dramatic poses that one would see on the kabuki stage was introduced in full-size independent paintings and prints characterized by bold, thick lines. As the Torii school expanded, series of picture books with little text but very fanciful in spirit were produced. The books became known by the colors of their covers— red, black or blue. Paintings and prints of courtesans, erotic scenes and sumo in more graceful, delicate mainstream ukiyo-e styles also became a part of the Torii repertoire. Torii Kiyonaga (1752– 1815), the last of the great Torii artists and one of the greatest of all ukiyo-e artists, retained much of the drama, energy and theatrical sensibility of the core Torii style, but he also introduced a previously unseen level of realism in his depictions of the urban culture of Edo, including its beautiful women.

      The most important of the picture book artists is without a doubt Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), the former name referring to the part of Edo where he was born, whom we shall meet again in later chapters, so broad was his repertoire. He is the most prolific artist the world has ever seen. His prints number in the tens of thousands. He had a long life, dying at eighty-nine. It was also a complicated life. Either for monetary reasons or to make a new start, he changed his name some thirty times, sometimes even setting his name so that another poor artist could profit from his reputation.

      Of the countless books Hokusai illustrated, two in particular stand out. The first is One Hundred Views of Mount (Fugaku Hyakkei), a three-volume work published in 1834 and 1835 (Fig. 33a–i). Considered the masterpiece among his landscape picture books, the series was printed three times during his lifetime and countless times since. Although the illustrations lack the glamor of some of his most famous pictures, such as “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” and “Red Fuji” from his earlier series, Fugaku Sanjuroku-kei (Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji), published in 1831, they embody something far more significant. They show what a creative spirit can impart on a single and simple theme—a mountain venerated by generations of Japanese as the source of the secret of immortality. Even today, climbing Mount Fuji is a cherished task by Japanese and foreigners alike. The two Fuji series started a whole new style of landscape ukiyo-e. Not only did they secure Hokusai fame at home and abroad, they were also to leave a lasting impression on the art world, including leading artists in nineteenth-century Europe.

      FIG. 33b Geese flying over a lake with Mount Fuji reflected in the water.

      FIG. 33c Decorative sculpture of a mythological fish with a bird perched on top.

      FIG. 33d Travelers coming and going toward Mount Fuji with a kite in the foreground.

      FIG. 33e The umbrella maker.

      FIG. 33f Travelers passing under a religious ornament tied to a tree in the foreground.

      FIG. 33g Fuji seen through a natural rock formation.

      FIG. 33h An optical illusion when Mount Fuji appears upside down through two glass surfaces.

      FIG. 33i Pure Hokusai “great wave” theme where waves mingle with water birds.

      FIG. 33a–i

      Katsushika HOKUSAI

      北斎 (1760–1849)

      Fugaku Hyakkei (One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji) 富嶽百景 より (1834, 1835)

      Book, 3 volumes, 22.5 x 16 cm Author’s Collection

      Hokusai had a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. The views in both his Fuji books depict not only the whole mountain but also include imaginative treatments of it as a mere background detail—seen through a window, reflected in water, viewed as a silhouette or just a shadow. It is beyond comprehension how Hokusai could conceive the inventive composition

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