Rokuzan Ogiwara
Encyclopedia
, was a sculptor active in Meiji period
Japan
. His real name was . He is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern western-style bronze sculpture
in Japan.
in Nagano Prefecture
in the mountains of central Japan, as the fifth son of a local farmer. He was forced to drop out of school at an early age due to a heart condition. In 1894, he met Aizō Sōma and his wife Kokkō Sōma, the wealthy proprietors of the Nakamura-ya bakery in Tokyo
and noted art patrons, and partly due to their influence, he became an active member of the temperance movement and a convert to Christianity
.
.
Ogiwara traveled to New York
in the United States
in 1901 to study oil painting
under contemporary artists Robert Henri
and William Merritt Chase
at the New York School of Art and at the Art Students League.
In 1903, he traveled to Paris
, France
, where he met with his patron, Sōma Aizo, who set him up in a garret apartment, and arranged for him to take further courses at the famed Académie Julian
in painting. However, when Ogiwara viewing Auguste Rodin
’s just-completed masterpiece, The Thinker
, he had a complete change of mind, and decided to devote his talents exclusively to bronze sculpture
instead. He returned to the United States in 1904 to learn sculpting techniques from scratch, and returned again to the Académie Julian in France in 1906.
In France, he was able to meet Rodin in person and receive instruction from him. He also met the famous Japanese sculptor Kōtarō Takamura
in Paris, and acted as his tour guide for the major art museums in Paris. He visited the British Museum in London, admiring Egyptian sculptures there. Around this time Ogiwara also completed his first works of sculpture. In late 1907, he departed France for Japan, by way of Italy
, Greece
and Egypt
, finally returning home to Japan in 1908.
After his reunion with the Sōmas, he set up his atelier in Shinjuku, Tokyo, near their Nakamura-ya bakery.
In 1908, he entered a work entitled Mongaku into the Second Annual National Exhibition
. This work, a life-sized bust of a revered Buddhist priest of 12th-century Japan, won third place. He followed this with two works (The Worker and Hojo Torakichi) in the Third Annual National Exhibition in 1909.
In 1910, he completed a work entitled Woman, which he intended to enter into the Fourth Annual National Exhibition in 1910, but he died suddenly from tuberculosis
after it was completed. The work was entered posthumously, and was so well received by art critics that it was also chosen as a representative work at the Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
in London, as the first example of modern Japanese sculpture.
The stone originals of his works Woman and Hojo Torakichi are listed by the Japanese government as Important Cultural Properties of Japan
. They are now displayed at the Tokyo National Museum
, while the bronze original of Woman is at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art.
The Rokuzan Art Museum in Hotaka
, Azumino, Nagano
, displays his works as well as art by others. The museum building, constructed in 1958 as a memorial to him using funds collected by Nagano schoolchildren over four decades, is designed to resemble a Christian church
and was built using brick
and stained glass
.
His work was honored by a commemorative postage stamp issued by the Japanese government.
Ogiwara’s life story was also made into a TV movie, Rokuzan no ai ("Rokuzan’s Love") aired by Tokyo Broadcasting System
(TBS) in February 2007. Rokuzan is played by Japanese actor Hiroyuki Hirayama, and the story line depicts a forbidden romance between Rokuzan and Kokkō Sōma (played by Miki Mizuno
), with Kokkō Sōma providing the model for Woman.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the 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...
. His real name was . He is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern western-style bronze sculpture
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
in Japan.
Early life
Ogiwara was born in AzuminoAzumino, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on October 1, 2005, when the town of Akashina, from Higashichikuma District, and the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato, from Minamiazumi District, merged to form a new city...
in 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...
in the mountains of central Japan, as the fifth son of a local farmer. He was forced to drop out of school at an early age due to a heart condition. In 1894, he met Aizō Sōma and his wife Kokkō Sōma, the wealthy proprietors of the Nakamura-ya bakery in 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...
and noted art patrons, and partly due to their influence, he became an active member of the temperance movement and a convert to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
Artistic career
The Sōmas recognized Ogiwara’s artistic talent, and agreed to become his sponsors. He relocated to Tokyo in 1899, and also stayed at the Sōmas’ summer villa in Kamakura, KanagawaKamakura, 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...
.
Ogiwara traveled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1901 to study oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
under contemporary artists Robert Henri
Robert Henri
Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. He was a leading figure of the Ashcan School in art.- Early life :...
and William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase was an American painter known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons The New School for Design.- Early life and training :He was born in Williamsburg , Indiana, to the family...
at the New York School of Art and at the Art Students League.
In 1903, he traveled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he met with his patron, Sōma Aizo, who set him up in a garret apartment, and arranged for him to take further courses at the famed Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in painting. However, when Ogiwara viewing Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
’s just-completed masterpiece, The Thinker
The Thinker
The Thinker is a bronze and marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin, whose first cast, of 1902, is now in the Musée Rodin in Paris; there are some twenty other original castings as well as various other versions, studies, and posthumous castings. It depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a...
, he had a complete change of mind, and decided to devote his talents exclusively to bronze sculpture
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
instead. He returned to the United States in 1904 to learn sculpting techniques from scratch, and returned again to the Académie Julian in France in 1906.
In France, he was able to meet Rodin in person and receive instruction from him. He also met the famous Japanese sculptor Kōtarō Takamura
Kotaro Takamura
was a Japanese poet and sculptor.-Biography:Kōtarō was the son of Takamura Kōun, a renowned Japanese sculptor.He graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1902, where he studied sculpture...
in Paris, and acted as his tour guide for the major art museums in Paris. He visited the British Museum in London, admiring Egyptian sculptures there. Around this time Ogiwara also completed his first works of sculpture. In late 1907, he departed France for Japan, by way of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, finally returning home to Japan in 1908.
After his reunion with the Sōmas, he set up his atelier in Shinjuku, Tokyo, near their Nakamura-ya bakery.
In 1908, he entered a work entitled Mongaku into the Second Annual National Exhibition
Nitten
Nitten may refer to:* Nitten, the colloquial name for the town of Newtongrange in Midlothian, Scotland* Nitten, the annual Japan Art Academy Award...
. This work, a life-sized bust of a revered Buddhist priest of 12th-century Japan, won third place. He followed this with two works (The Worker and Hojo Torakichi) in the Third Annual National Exhibition in 1909.
In 1910, he completed a work entitled Woman, which he intended to enter into the Fourth Annual National Exhibition in 1910, but he died suddenly from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
after it was completed. The work was entered posthumously, and was so well received by art critics that it was also chosen as a representative work at the Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
The took place at White City, London in Great Britain from 14 May 1910 to 29 October 1910. It was the largest international exposition that the Empire of Japan had participated in to date, and was driven by a desire of Japan to develop a more favorable public image in Great Britain following the...
in London, as the first example of modern Japanese sculpture.
Legacy
Although his career was short and he left only a few works, Ogiwara strongly influenced the development of modern sculpture in Japan.The stone originals of his works Woman and Hojo Torakichi are listed by the Japanese government as Important Cultural Properties of Japan
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....
. They are now displayed at the Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo National Museum
Established 1872, the , or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure...
, while the bronze original of Woman is at the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art.
The Rokuzan Art Museum in Hotaka
Hotaka, Nagano
was a town located in Minamiazumi District, Nagano, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Hotaka was merged with the town of Akashina, from Higashichikuma District, the town of Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato, all from Minamiazumi District, to form the new city of Azumino.As of 2003, the town...
, Azumino, Nagano
Azumino, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on October 1, 2005, when the town of Akashina, from Higashichikuma District, and the towns of Hotaka and Toyoshina, and the villages of Horigane and Misato, from Minamiazumi District, merged to form a new city...
, displays his works as well as art by others. The museum building, constructed in 1958 as a memorial to him using funds collected by Nagano schoolchildren over four decades, is designed to resemble a Christian church
Church Building
The Church Building is located at the corner of Main and Market Streets in downtown Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, just across Market Street from the Dutchess County Court House, and north of the Bardavon Theater...
and was built using brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
.
His work was honored by a commemorative postage stamp issued by the Japanese government.
Ogiwara’s life story was also made into a TV movie, Rokuzan no ai ("Rokuzan’s Love") aired by Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
(TBS) in February 2007. Rokuzan is played by Japanese actor Hiroyuki Hirayama, and the story line depicts a forbidden romance between Rokuzan and Kokkō Sōma (played by Miki Mizuno
Miki Mizuno
Miki Mizuno is a Japanese actress. Her film credits include a leading role in the second new Gamera film: Gamera 2: Attack of Legion -Television:...
), with Kokkō Sōma providing the model for Woman.