Ito Shinsui
Encyclopedia
, was the pseudonym
of a Nihonga
painter and ukiyo-e
woodblock print
artist in Taishō
and Shōwa period
Japan
. He was one of the great names of the shin hanga
art movement, which revitalized the traditional art after it began to decline with the advent of photography in the early 20th century. His real name was .
district of Tokyo
. After unwise investments bankrupted his father's business, he was forced to drop out of elementary school in the third grade, and became a live-in apprentice at a printing shop. It was in this manner that he became interested in printing techniques, and also in the arts.
In 1912, his works were first shown by the Tatsumi gakai (Southeast Painting Society') and later works were displayed by the Kyodokai ('Homeland Society'), the Nihon bijutsuin ('Japan Art Institute'), and in the government sponsored Bunten show. His works were received with much praise by art critic
s, and his reputation was soon made. His early works won numerous awards, and he accepted a post at the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun
to supply illustrations for newspapers.
As with most artists of the shin hanga
movement (notably Kawase Hasui
), Itō was spotted by publisher Watanabe Shozaburo
who effectively monopolized the market. Itō came to be known as a specialist in the bijinga
("beautiful women") genre, although he also occasionally painted landscapes.
Itō's first major print, 'Before the Mirror', depicts a young woman wearing a deep red kimono
under-robe, looking off into an unseen mirror. Instead of using the harsh aniline
red common in other contemporary prints, Itō used a natural vegetable dye
, overprinting the robe several times to achieve a rich crimson color. Special care was also taken for the speckled gray texture background, making a contrast with the red garment, black hair, and white skin.
Itō established his own independent studio in 1927. Although many of his early works were direct reflections of traditional ukiyoe both in subject matter and in style, his technique was revolutionary. Ito would paint a "master painting" in watercolors
, and dedicated craftsmen would make the actual prints from this "master copy". Itō was thus a pioneer in the Shin hanga
movement.
Watanabe and Itō continued their business cooperation into the 1960s, and Watanabe exported hundreds of Shinsui prints, generating great success for them both. Itō's early landscape series, Eight Views of Lake Biwa inspired Kawase Hasui. His early bijin-ga are generally considered his finest works.
During the Pacific War
, Itō was drafted by the Japanese government into producing propaganda
art. He was sent to the South Pacific
, and completed over 3000 sketches during his travels to various islands under Japanese rule. At the end of the war, he relocated from the ruins of Tokyo to Komoro
in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture
. He relocated from there to Kamakura, Kanagawa
in 1949.
In the post-war period Itō came to be regarded as one of the best known and respected personalities in Japanese society, and received several important honors during his lifetime. In 1952 the "Commission for the Protection of Cultural Properties" (Bunkazai Hōgō Iinkai) declared him a bearer of "intangible cultural properties" (mukei bunkazai) which was then the equivalent of being declared a Living National Treasure
. In 1958, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy
. In 1970, he received the Order of the Rising Sun
.
One of Itō's works, Yubi, ("Finger") was the subject of the 1974 Philatelic Week commemorative postage stamp issued by the Japanese post office. Another work, Fubuki ("Blizzard") was depicted on a 1983 Japanese commemorative postage stamp as part of the Modern Japanese Arts series.
Ito's daughter, Yukiji Asaoka
, is a famous actress and singer in Japan.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of a Nihonga
Nihonga
or literally "Japanese-style paintings" is a term used to describe paintings that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials...
painter and ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
woodblock print
Woodblock printing
Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper....
artist in Taishō
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
and Shōwa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was one of the great names of the shin hanga
Shin hanga
was an art movement in early 20th-century Japan, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods, that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art rooted in the Edo and Meiji periods...
art movement, which revitalized the traditional art after it began to decline with the advent of photography in the early 20th century. His real name was .
Early life
Itō was born in the FukagawaFukagawa (Tokyo)
is a region in Kōtō ward of Tokyo metropolis, Japan. It is one of the representative shitamachi of Tokyo. Formerly, it was a ward of the historical Tokyo City. Its postal code is 135-0033....
district of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. After unwise investments bankrupted his father's business, he was forced to drop out of elementary school in the third grade, and became a live-in apprentice at a printing shop. It was in this manner that he became interested in printing techniques, and also in the arts.
Artistic career
In 1911, Itō was accepted as an apprentice under Kaburagi Kiyokata, (who give him the pseudonym of "Shinsui") and issued his first woodblock print the following year. His talent was soon apparent, and from the following year, his paintings were entered in public exhibitions.In 1912, his works were first shown by the Tatsumi gakai (Southeast Painting Society') and later works were displayed by the Kyodokai ('Homeland Society'), the Nihon bijutsuin ('Japan Art Institute'), and in the government sponsored Bunten show. His works were received with much praise by art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
s, and his reputation was soon made. His early works won numerous awards, and he accepted a post at the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun
Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun
The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun was a newspaper printed in Tokyo, Japan from 1872 to 1943.In 1875, the company began the world's first newspaper delivery service....
to supply illustrations for newspapers.
As with most artists of the shin hanga
Shin hanga
was an art movement in early 20th-century Japan, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods, that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art rooted in the Edo and Meiji periods...
movement (notably Kawase Hasui
Kawase Hasui
was a prominent Japanese painter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and one of the chief printmakers in the shin hanga movement.Kawase studied ukiyo-e and Japanese style painting at the studio of Kaburagi Kiyokata...
), Itō was spotted by publisher Watanabe Shozaburo
Watanabe Shozaburo
was a Japanese print publisher and the driving force behind the Japanese printmaking movement known as shin hanga . He started his career working for the export company of Kobayashi Bunshichi, which gave him an opportunity to learn about exporting art prints...
who effectively monopolized the market. Itō came to be known as a specialist in the bijinga
Bijinga
Bijinga , is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography...
("beautiful women") genre, although he also occasionally painted landscapes.
Itō's first major print, 'Before the Mirror', depicts a young woman wearing a deep red kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
under-robe, looking off into an unseen mirror. Instead of using the harsh aniline
Aniline
Aniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene is an organic compound with the formula C6H5NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the prototypical aromatic amine. Being a precursor to many industrial chemicals, its main use is in the manufacture of precursors to polyurethane...
red common in other contemporary prints, Itō used a natural vegetable dye
Natural dye
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources – roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood — and other organic sources such as fungi and lichens....
, overprinting the robe several times to achieve a rich crimson color. Special care was also taken for the speckled gray texture background, making a contrast with the red garment, black hair, and white skin.
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
, and dedicated craftsmen would make the actual prints from this "master copy". Itō was thus a pioneer in the Shin hanga
Shin hanga
was an art movement in early 20th-century Japan, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods, that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art rooted in the Edo and Meiji periods...
movement.
Watanabe and Itō continued their business cooperation into the 1960s, and Watanabe exported hundreds of Shinsui prints, generating great success for them both. Itō's early landscape series, Eight Views of Lake Biwa inspired Kawase Hasui. His early bijin-ga are generally considered his finest works.
During the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, Itō was drafted by the Japanese government into producing propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
art. He was sent to the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, and completed over 3000 sketches during his travels to various islands under Japanese rule. At the end of the war, he relocated from the ruins of Tokyo to Komoro
Komoro, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 44,270. The total area is 98.66 km².-Municipal Timeline:*February 1, 1954-Komoro absorbed the villages of Kawanabe, Kitaoi, and Osato from Kitasaku District....
in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
. He relocated from there to Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
in 1949.
In the post-war period Itō came to be regarded as one of the best known and respected personalities in Japanese society, and received several important honors during his lifetime. In 1952 the "Commission for the Protection of Cultural Properties" (Bunkazai Hōgō Iinkai) declared him a bearer of "intangible cultural properties" (mukei bunkazai) which was then the equivalent of being declared a Living National Treasure
Living National Treasure (Japan)
is a Japanese popular term for those individuals certified as by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as based on Japan's...
. In 1958, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy
Japan Art Academy
is the highest ranking artistic organization in Japan. The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of Education on art-related issues, and promotes art is the highest ranking artistic organization in Japan. The Academy discusses art-related issues, advises the Minister of...
. In 1970, he received the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
.
One of Itō's works, Yubi, ("Finger") was the subject of the 1974 Philatelic Week commemorative postage stamp issued by the Japanese post office. Another work, Fubuki ("Blizzard") was depicted on a 1983 Japanese commemorative postage stamp as part of the Modern Japanese Arts series.
Ito's daughter, Yukiji Asaoka
Yukiji Asaoka
is a Japanese singer and an actress from Chūō, Tokyo. She is the daughter of the famous Japanese painter of shin hanga style prints, Shinsui Itō, and her second and present husband is actor Masahiko Tsugawa.Asaoka was in the Takarazuka Revue from 1952 to 1955...
, is a famous actress and singer in Japan.
Major works
- Eight Views of Lake Biwa - 1917-1918
- Twelve Figures of New Beauties - 1922-1923
- Collection of Modern Beauties - 1929-1931
- Twelve Views of Oshima - 1937-1938
- Three Views of Mount Fuji - 1938-1939
- Ten Views of Shinano - 1948
External links
- Ito Shinsui Information, print gallery,...
- Ito Shinsui's works at Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- print gallery
- Artworks and history of Ito Shinsui