AESTHETICS No.13 (2009)

The Japanese Society for Aesthetics / 283

A look at some original paintings by Yoshitaki:
Development from the late Edo period to the Meiji period
YAMAMOTO Sumiko
Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum, Osaka

Introduction
The object of this paper is to examine the hand paintings of UTAGAWA Yoshitaki (18411899), an Ukiyo-e artist who was active mainly in Osaka from the late Edo to the Meiji period.
Yoshitaki’s works have been introduced in general books on Osaka prints (Kamigata-e)
including “Kamigata-e Ichiran” (Complete List of Osaka Prints) [1], some dictionaries, exhibition
catalogues [2], and a book by MATSUDAIRA Susumu [3]. Recently, his prints were given
wider publicity in books such as Volume 5 of the “Kamigata Yakusha-e Shūsei” by KITAGAWA
Hiroko, from the Ikeda-bunko Library, and “Kamigata Yakusha-e Chō” edited by Kansai
University [ 4], both of which are corpuses of portraits of Kabuki actors in Osaka. Moreover,
TSUCHIYA Reiko examined some Nishiki-e (full-color wood block prints) newspaper illustrations by Yoshitaki in her book titled “Osaka no Nishiki-e Shinbun” (Full-color Wood Block
Prints Newspapers in Osaka) [5]. All of these showed some of Yoshitaki’s work. However,no comprehensive study has been conducted so far. Regarding his portraits of actors,
KITAGAWA did not think highly of them, arguing that the “quality of works in the Meiji era is
obviously lower than that of the Edo period, probably due to over production”[6].
On the other hand, according to Yoshitaki’s profile written by his apprentice, his handpaintings of a family scene, especially those of mother and daughters, were highly praised in
exhibitions such as the Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai (Competitive Show for the Promotion of
National paintings). Where do these two different assessments of the work of one paintercome from? Is this simply because of the difference in nature between print works and handpaintings? This paper aims to reexamine Yoshitaki’s work, not only his prints but also hisbrush drawings, with an attempt to provide an answer to these questions.
The first chapter outlines the painter’s biography as well as the development of his print
works. This is followed by a close study of his three hand paintings produced in the Meiji era,
which bare many similarities with his previous print works. A further analysis shows how his
works in his days were assessed with reference to the Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshinkai. Chapter 3
looks at two very important paintings of beautiful women painted at the end of the Edo era:
“Kabu Onkyoku zu” (Dance performance with musical accompaniment) from the collection of
the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and “Shinzō Tachisugata zu” (Standing beauty) from the
British Museum. Careful observation of these works leads to the conclusion that both of themwere produced at the end of the Edo period. With this in mind and in comparison with
Yoshitaki’s works in the Meiji era, it becomes clear that he successfully adopted a moresophisticated style in hand paintings, especially in compositions.

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YAMAMOTO Sumiko

Examining two different types of Yoshitaki’s works, prints and hand paintings, will offer
an answer to the previous questions; he should not be judged on the basis of his prints during
the Edo era only, but also by his Meiji hand paintings in which he graphically portrayedfamily life, especially that of women. It is on this basis that he should be re-evaluated.

1. Biography and portraits of actors(1) Biography“Yoshitaki Gashū” (Collection of Yoshitaki’s paintings, 1931) [7] that was published tocommemorate the 33rd anniversary of Yoshitaki’s death, volume 31 of the “Ukiyo-e shi”
magazine (1931) [8] and a special edition of “Kamigata” magazine featuring illustrators of the
Meiji era (1942) [9] containing Yoshitaki’s biography. This was written by KAWASAKI Kyosen(1877-1942), a toy painter who learned paintings from Yoshitaki. The following is a summaryof Yoshitaki’s biography based on Kyosen’s text.
1841 Born in Osaka
1852 Became a pupil of UTAGAWA Yoshiume, who used to study paintings from UTAGAWA
Kuniyoshi.
1855 Left Yoshiume to be an independent painter. Mainly worked on theatre billboards, woodblock prints including portrait of actors and landscapes, as well as other kind ofcommercial prints (Surimono). Also worked as a newspaper illustrator in the first years of
the Meiji era.
1880 Moved to Kyoto.
1882 Awarded a bronze medal at the first Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai. Since then his paintingsreceived good reviews in various exhibitions both domestically and internationally.
Awarded another bronze prize at the second Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai and a meritorious
mention at the fourth Naikoku Kangyō Hakurankai (National Expo for the Promotion ofIndustry).
1885 Moved to Sakai. As the city was well known for sake liquor production, Yoshitaki madea picture scroll illustrating sake brewing at the requests from breweries. He also painted
on a sake barrel to be dedicated to the Matsuo Shrine in Kyoto, a deity of sake.
1889 Died in Sakai. Entombed at the Nanshū-ji temple, Sakai.
Since he started paintings under Yoshiume in 1852, the most of Yoshitaki’s career for the
next 13 years was dedicated to Osaka prints, namely, portraits of actors. According to Kyosen,
Yoshitaki was touched by ITŌ Jakuchū’s large paintings in the Shōkoku-ji temple, and favored
producing detailed and rich-colored genre pictures in the style of Jakuchū. He also copied apainting of a ghost by MARUYAMA Ōkyo. Kyosen wrote that Yoshitaki received a requestfrom the Kyoto prefectural government to be a lecturer at the Kyoto Prefectural Art School,
and also described how he communicated with his contemporary painters. Since Kyosen
married Yoshitaki’s daughter whose name was Hamako, he became Yoshitaki’s son-in-law as
well as his student. It is therefore fair to argue that Kyosen’s statement about Yoshitaki isreliable.

A look at some original paintings by Yoshitaki

285(2) Development of portraits of actors(A) Ansei period (1854-1860)
Yoshitaki’s work first appeared around 1854 [10]. Ansei
was a time for Yoshitaki to establish his own style. In “KeiseiŌmonguchi” (1859) [Figure 1], the physical shape of the actor
is somehow distorted, especially the balance between thehead and the body. Similarly, the lines from neck to shoulder
are not clear, making the way the arms relate to the body
look unnatural. As a result, the upper body is oddly flat anddoes not look real. This kind of improper balance is often
observed in his early works, but he quickly acquired skills in
drawing body shape and catching the movement of actors
with simple and moderately curved lines, so that figuresappeared more natural.

Figure 1: Keisei Ōmonguchi,
Kamigata Ukiyo-eMuseum, Osaka(B) From the Bunkyu period (1861-1864) to the first half of 1870’s.
During this time, Yoshitaki rendered the shapes of arms and legs with accuracy as well as
the volume of the body. By doing so, he managed to express the strong presence of actors as if
their auras on stage also appeared in prints. This can be seen in “Kanadehon Chūsin Gura”[Figure 2]. The actor is depicted in a balanced way with a well-built upper body, a firm stancewith spread legs, which contrasts with the flat figure in “Keisei Ōmonguchi”. Yoshitaki’s newstyle can also be seen in the shape of shoulders and the round hems of costumes. This change
was clear in other works too, such as “Ichinotani Futabagunki” [Figure 3] in which the costumeof an actor playing a female role was drawn in delicately curved lines, clearly expressing the
thickness and soft texture of the fabric. In the same way, Yoshitaki used soft curves for thewrinkles on the sleeves of the actor also playing a female role in “Asamagadake Omokage
Zōshi”[Figure 4] (1871). During this time, actors in his picture were still depicted with a roundshaped body.

Figure 2: Kanadehon Chūsin
Gura, Kamigata Ukiyo-eMuseum, Osaka

Figure 3: Ichinotani Futabagunki,
Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum,
Osaka

Figure 4: Asamagadake
Omokage Zōshi, Kamigata
Ukiyo-e Museum, OsakaYAMAMOTO Sumiko286

Figure 5: Akegarasu Tsuyuno
Nuregoromo, an image
from the Japanese Art
Catalogue in the Náprstkovo
Muzeum Collection,
the Czech Republic(C) The late 1870’s
As was seen in “Akegarasu Tsuyuno Nuregoromo”[Figure 5](1875), Yoshitaki began to use straight lines for the wrinkles on
sleeves. In addition, the elbows’ angle became sharper thanthat in previous works, even though some roundness was stillseen in the way the hems of clothing was painted. In a word,
he altered his way of painting to express wrinkles. In “Yumejino Tabi Seiyō Meguri” [Figure 6] (1978), many lines were used
for the wrinkles on the inner side of sleeves, around the obi belt
and for the contours of the shoulders of the Haori jacket, whicheven appears obsessive compared with his earlier works where
simple curves were used for making the Kimono costumes look
soft and thick. His preference for using multiple lines to express
the Kimono wrinkles became even more obvious toward 1880.
In summary, the development of Yoshitaki’s style observed in his print works is as follows. The odd body balancein the earliest works soon disappeared, mutating into figures
depicted by round and soft lines that expressed the strong
presence of actors on stage. However, by the late 1870’s thissoftness was replaced by sharpness using increasingly amultitude of lines notably for the wrinkles of costumes.
In addition to portraits of actors, Yoshitaki made otherkind of prints including “Naniwa Hyakukei” (A hundred views ofOsaka), co-produced with Kunikazu and Yoshiyuki, andNishiki-e newspapers published around 1875. In particular the

Figure 6: Yumeji no Tabi Seiyō
Meguri, an image from theJapanese Art Catalogue in the
Náprstkovo Muzeum
Collection, the Czech Republic

Nishiki-e newspapers are quite important to follow Yoshitaki’s
style, because the year 1875 was exactly the time during which
Yoshitaki changed his way of painting as discussed above.
Actually, the figures in the Nishiki-e newspapers showed thesame features as those in portraits of actors, in which theirknees and elbows were drawn by straight lines. Thus, it is fair
to argue that the same analysis of portraits of actors can beapplied to other works. The next chapter will therefore examine the evolution of Yoshitaki’s
style in hand paintings after he stopped producing print portraits of actors.

2. Hand paintings in the Meiji era(1) Shift to hand paintings
It is established that Yoshitaki shifted to hand paintings in 1880. Kyosen’s biography inthe picture book entitled “Yoshitaki Gashu” states that in 1880 Yoshitaki stopped producing
theatre billboards, portraits of actors, newspaper illustrations and other kind of print works.
He then relocated to Takamiya-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto to begin hand paintings with focus

A look at some original paintings by Yoshitaki

287

on women’s daily life. Actually, there has been no discovery of Yoshitaki’s portraits of actors
after 1880. Kyosen explained this change in the Kamigata magazine mentioned above as
follows: “Yoshitaki had known too much about the theater world”.
The next paragraph provides an overview of his hand paintings in the Meiji era.
(2) Works after the shift
The total of twenty one color plates in “Yoshitaki Gashū” include five hand paintings, six
sketches, seven prints, a drawing painted by Yoshitaki’s fellow painters, a sketch book, and an
unpublished print design [11]. The following close studies of two hand paintings and a sketch
are taken from these plates. They are supported by Kyosen’s comments and aim at providing aview of the development of Yoshitaki’s style after 1880.
(a) Fujin Fūzoku Saihō no zu [Figure 7] (Women sewing in aroom)This picture was awarded the bronze medal at the first
Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshinkai in 1882. Six women and a girl aregathering and sewing. Five of them in the lower part of thepicture are shown as being busy with sewing next to sewing
boxes on their side. They sit in a circle, giving thus a sense of
depth to the picture. There is a screen in the upper right part,and in the upper left, another woman is shown reeling somethread with a girl as an assistant. The screen is the only
indication that this is the inside of a room, and the positioningof the figures creates a sense of integrated space in the painting.
The design of their Kimono dress and the obi belts are different
for each of them, which makes the whole image look colorful.
On the other hand, the soft atmosphere emanating from thewomen gives a gentle touch to the scene.
(b) Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku Ikkadanran no zu [Figure 8] (Women in a
family gathering in Kyoto)

Figure 7: Fujin Fūzoku Saihōno zu, an image from the
Photo Collections of
Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai

This painting, too, was awarded the bronze prize at thesecond Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshinkai in 1884. At the bottom of thepicture, a woman is sewing while watching over her child’s
studying, and another woman is giving something to a woman
holding a toddler. Behind screens the two partitioning screensin the middle of the picture, two women are playing each adifferent instrument, Koto (Japanese harp) and Shamisen (athree strings music instrument). At the top of the picture, we
can see a sixth woman and an elderly man next to a charcoal
brazier, both listening to music. Overall, this vertically shaped
picture evokes a happy gathering in a family room. The
composition can be divided into three parts whereby the
figures in each group sit or stand face to face. While the room

Figure 8: Kyoto Fujin
Fūzoku Ikkadanran nozu, an image from the
Yoshitaki Gashū

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YAMAMOTO Sumiko

is separated by two screens, the whole space is so integrated that the viewer’s eyes are
attracted to the back of the room.
The movement of the women’s body is expressed by a number of lines from shoulders tosleeves. This is particularly visible in the representation of a woman sewing at the bottom of
the picture. The Kimono dresses and the obi belts depicted with fine patterns as well as thegraceful aura of the women are indicative of Yoshitaki’s gentle feeling towards women’s
everyday life.
(c) Hinamatsuri zu [Figure 9] (Doll festival)
This is the sketch of a painting Yoshitaki made in 1888 at therequest of the Tokyo Bijutsu Kyōkai (Tokyo Art Association), which
was purchased by Count SANO Tsunetami, the then presidentof the Tokyo Bijutsu Kyōkai. According to the Kamigata magazine,“Yoshitaki received a commission to produce a large silk paintingof a doll festival celebration in Kamigata (western area of Japan

Figure 9: Hinamatsuri zu,
an image from the
Yoshitaki Gashū

including Osaka and Kyoto) style, and he drew it in rich color anddetailed manner”. In the back of the room, a large hina doll set is on
display along with miniature furnished goods. In front of it, thelady of the house and her daughter are receiving guests, a motherand her little girl, who are coming to have a look at the dolls. In thelower part, two women and other girls are given tea and sweets ina space separated by screens, the left one displaying painted cranes.
This represents the scene of a wealthy family enjoying a doll
festival. Yoshitaki also captured the various movements of differ-ent figures. For instance, a woman looking at the dolls is so earnest
that she is bending her body forward, while a woman in front is taking care of a child andanother is distributing sweets. In addition, he used equally in this picture too a number oflines for wrinkles on their Kimono clothing. He also positioned figures and screens in a waythat drives the eyes of the viewer from the front to the back of the space.
Yoshitaki’s style as examined above can be summarized as follows. He carefully depicted
furniture and other goods in details, and was eager to express woman’s gentle movement andsoft atmosphere. For this purpose, he used many straight lines for wrinkles so that joint partsof the body such as elbows and knees could be felt even when they were concealed in clothing.
Thus, an abundant usage of lines was a significant factor in Yoshitaki’s style.
As discussed in the prior chapter, this was also observed in his print works immediately
before he shifted to hand paintings, namely those in the late 1870’s. Therefore, it can be argued
that his style in prints continued in his hand paintings as well[12].
Moreover, as seen in “Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku Ikkadanran no zu”, he favored the representationof figures according to a vertical arrangement in order to give a sense of perspective. He also
placed screens at odd angles, which, in spite of the whole space being partitioned, induce theviewer’s eyes to be driven toward the back of a room. This tendency to emphasize depth fromfront to back is another characteristic of his hand paintings.

A look at some original paintings by Yoshitaki

289(3) How Yoshitaki was evaluated at Kaiga Kyōshin Kai
As mentioned above, both “Fujin Fūzoku Saihō no zu” and “Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku Ikkadanran nozu” were awarded with the bronze medal at the first and second Kaiga Kyōshin Kai respectively.
The Kyōshinkai was a national competition of paintings organized by the then Ministry ofAgriculture and Commerce in 1882 and 1885. It aimed to promote fine arts as one of theindustries. The report from the 1882 Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai [13] indicated how Yoshitaki
was assessed in this competition and the reasons why he received a bronze medal twice.
The first Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai was held at the Ueno Park in Tokyo from October 1st to
November 20th 1882. Yoshitaki’s picture entered group 4, and more precisely the Utagawa
School, which was one of the six divisions in this group. The following is the number of works
for each category in the competition.
Group 1
School name: Kose, Takuma, Kasuga, Tosa, Sumiyoshi, Kōrin
187 worksGroup 2
School name: Kanō
460 worksGroup 3
School name: Shina Nanboku (Southern and Northern China)
1889 works
Group 4
School name: Hishikawa, Miyagawa, Utagawa, Hasegawa and others
74 works
Group 5School name: Maruyama, Shijō and others
655 worksGroup 6
Miscellaneous
312 works
Total of 4568 works by 2048 artists
As shown, group 4 was the smallest with just 37 painters, and the Utagawa school painterswere only twenty three of them. Artists like KŌNO Bairei, KUBOTA Beisen were on the panel,and foreign specialists such as Gottfried Wagner and Earnest Fenollosa were advisors. In thiscompetition [14], four were awarded the silver medal while twenty five were awarded thebronze medal. Yoshitaki was one of the bronze medals’ winners - only one from group 4 [ 15].
General comments on group 4 were: “These type of works (in group 4) have been produced as a kind of supplementary to conventional fine arts and no high quality neither sophistication should be expected. Even though there are one or two works that are worth seeing,others are too earthly”
This suggests that Yoshitaki’s painting was highly appreciated because of its gentle andhappy family atmosphere of women sewing together, unlike other group 4 works that were290

YAMAMOTO Sumiko

considered to be “too earthly”. It was the reason why he became the only award winner ofgroup 4.
After the Kaiga Kyōshin Kai, he received requests from prestigious arts association such as
Tokyo Bijutsu Kyokai (mentioned above) and Ryūchi kai to offer his paintings to their exhibitions,which also indicated that Yoshitaki established his position as a painter due to the Kaiga
Kyōshin Kai.
Kyosen stated that theatre billboard paintings by Yoshitaki had been popular even before
that. Still, after completely shifting to hand paintings, he earned a good reputation as a genre
painter who specialized in women’s family life in such a short time. Why was it possible? The
answer to the question can be found in his paintings back to the very end of the Edo period.

3. Hand paintings during the end of the Edo era(1) “Kabu Onkyoku zu” in the MFA collection“Kabu Onkyoku zu” [Figure 10] (Dance performance withmusic instruments) is in the collection of the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston [16]. NAITO Masato wrote that face lines as well as
nose and eyes showed features of the Utagawa school, and that
this was probably painted during the very last days of the Edo
era or the beginning of Meiji (1850’s–1860’s) [17]. The following is
the examination of this painting, “Kabu Onkyoku zu”, based on theanalysis of Yoshitaki’s development in the previous chapter.
The picture is on paper, sized approximately 103.8 centimeters long and 49.0 centimeters wide. Four women are playing
shamisens and drums and, in the centre, two women are dancing
with fans in their hands. All of their Kimono dresses are painted
in rich colors and fine designs. In the right lower part of thepicture, a woman is playing hand drum. In the opposite corner,
another woman is holding a shamisen and a quill as she watches
two dancers. In the upper part, two women are facing each other,each playing on a big and a small drum. Amongst the music

Figure 10: Kabu Onkyoku
zu, MFA, Boston

performers, there are two dancers; one standing with her hem ofKimono flipped, the other kneeling down and looking up to the standing one. The designs ofeach woman’s Kimono include flowers on a black background, silver grass with butterflies,
bamboo leaves, bold pine trees with gradual tones from pink to light blue, willow andswallows, and stylish Yorokejima (waved stripes). For two dancers, a vivid red is used for their
Kimono hems and cuffs, while music performers’ undergarments shown along the neckline arein soft red. These rich color variations are effective to capture the glamorous party atmosphere.
This style, expressing the glamorous air of the scene by the colorful and fine designs of theKimono dresses and the obi belts, is typical of Yoshitaki’s hand paintings in the Meiji era, as
already mentioned. On the other hand, in this picture Yoshitaki used sophisticated curvedlines to make the shoulders and elbows look round. Additionally, he outlined figures with

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291

simple and thick brushstrokes, as is manifest in his depiction of the Kimono dress of a woman
beating a big drum. This kind of lines is clearly different from the hand paintings made in the
Meiji era, in which a number of straight lines were used to represent folding knees on the floor,or the shape of shoulders and elbows.
This distinctive form of expression through soft curves can equally be seen in “Shinzō
Tachisugata zu” (Standing beauty) from the British Museum collection.
(2) “Shinzō Tachisugata zu” from the British Museum collection
It is clear that “Shinzō Tachisugata zu” [Figure 11] (Standing Beauty) [18] was painted in asimilar way to the “Kabu Onkyoku zu”. A woman standing alone holds
what looks like a paper tissue case, slightly leaning on the right, andlooking up in the air to the left side. She is in a blue-gray Kimono dress
with designs of willows and swallows, tying a large red obi belts decorated with the Shippo (seven treasures) pattern. A red undergarment
can be seen at the edge of the sleeves and hems, with a rounded drape
contrasting with her slim lower body. Profile lines are thick anddynamic as seen in the soft curves from shoulders to sleeves. In thisbrush work, Yoshitaki gave volume to the dresses’ hems emphasizing
thus the slenderness of the standing beauty. Her kimono dress has

Figure 11:
Shinzō Tachisugata
zu, The British
Museum, London

almost the same design as those seen in “Kabu Onkyoku zu”. Yoshitaki’s
seal that reads “Naniwa Yosyitaki” (Yoshitaki of Osaka) is also the same.
Even though the composition is different, it is clear that “Shinzō
Tachisugata zu” was produced in a style identical to the “Kabu Onkyokuzu”, as was observed with the round shape of shoulder-to-sleeve lines, thesoft brush works, as well as in the typical way he painted faces. It cantherefore be concluded that two works were painted in the same period.

(3) Hand paintings at the end of the Edo era
The common style in the two hand paintings discussed above also appears in portraits ofactors produced at the end of the Edo era; those during the Ansei period (A); and from the
Bunkyu period to early 1870’s (B). The style during this time is quite distinctive from that in
the Meiji era in which Yoshitaki expressed body shapes such as knees and elbows with amultitude of straight lines. This form of expression was what Yoshitaki began in his portraitsof actors in the late 1870’s, immediately before shifting to hand paintings. He continued to use
it in hand paintings.
With this in mind, we can safely guess that “Kabu Onkyoku zu” and “Shinzō Tachisugata zu”
were painted at around the same time as his print works which are stylistically similar, i.e.
between 1850’s and 1860’s. This analysis of the evolution of Yoshitaki’s style in his prints andhand paintings confirms Naito’s assessment of “Kabu Onkyoku zu” according to which the facial
lines and features show that the paintings should be dated back to the end of the Edo era.
Furthermore, “Kiyomizu no Butaitobi no musume zu” in “Yoshitaki Gashū”, thought to have been
painted in the Ansei period, carries the seal of “Naniwa Yoshitaki”, similar to “Kabu Onkyoku zu”

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YAMAMOTO Sumikoand “Shinzō Tachisugata zu”. This is further evidence that all three works were produced at theend of the Edo era.
As discussed so far, Yoshitaki applied the same style to his prints and hand paintings,
both of which following the same development. No previous studies established a connection
between “Kabu Onkyoku zu” and “Shinzō Tachisugata zu”, apart from the seal and Kimono
designs. This paper is indeed the first to notice that the two works share the same style andperiod of production. The fact that “Shinzō Tachisugata zu” was also produced in the same
period suggests that Yoshitaki already made a number of hand paintings while he was still a
popular Ukiyo-e print artist–“Kabu Onkyoku zu” was no exception. Thus, it is necessary to lookback to the end of the Edo era in order to assess the evolution of his hand paintings. During
this period he made numerous portraits of actors for prints, but also favored portraying
beautiful females for his hand paintings, from which he developed genre paintings with focus
on women in the Meiji era.
The next chapter attempts to identify the features of Yoshitaki’s hand paintings in both the
Edo and Meiji periods.

4. The significance of hand paintings for Yoshitaki(1) Analysis on “Kabu Onkyoku zu”
The way Yoshitaki applied color in his hand paintings appears to be a significant factor.
In this regard, Naito commented that the patterns and colors on women’s Kimono clothing
differ from that of the Edo era. Vividly colored Kimono dresses with various designs
inexorably attract viewers’ attention. In particular, the contrasts in dark colored Kimonos,
such as between black, green, and red inner garments that appear around the cuff links or at
the hem of dresses, create a noticeable effect. This combination of colors seems to be
Yoshitaki’s favorite, as it can also be seen in his portraits of actors [19]. Moreover, gradationsof colors from pink to light blue as shown on the Kimono dress of the woman in the centre,
was a technique Yoshitaki often used in his prints for the costumes of actors [20].
In addition to sharing similarities as for the colors, his hand paintings and print works
also share the same design for the Kimono garments [21]. Indeed, as stated above, the same
pattern is used on Kimono dresses in “Kabu Onkyoku zu” and “Shinzō Tachisugata zu”. It cantherefore be argued that Yoshitaki took the Kimono designs from prints and used them forhand paintings such as “Kabu Onkyoku zu”.
The golden fans held by two dancers were also taken from the Osaka prints. The Osaka
prints of the end of the Edo era can be divided into two groups determined by the degree of
quality; Jōzuri (top quality prints) and Namizuri (average quality prints) [22]. Although bothuse the same woodblock, a lot of golden or silver paint was used on the Jōzuri print for fans,swords, and armors, while they were painted in yellow on the Namizuri print. The fans in“Kabu Onkyoku zu” are golden, probably because Yoshitaki brought the techniques of the Osaka
prints into his hand paintings.
All observations of the color patterns and designs of the Kimono dresses indicate that
Yoshitaki painted “Kabu Onkyoku zu” in the style of the Osaka prints.

A look at some original paintings by Yoshitaki

293

The next section compares “Kabu Onkyoku zu” with the hand paintings of the Meiji era.
(2) Comparison with the hand paintings of the Meiji era“Kabu Onkyoku zu” shows six women who make three couples; in the each pair, two
women are depicted side by side, and the three pairs are positioned vertically. This composition is typical in the Osaka prints, not only in Yoshitaki’s works but in general. In the
Osaka prints, several sheets of prints are put together to show the whole image of a scene or astory from Kabuki drama, while each print has its own composition. The composition of “Kabu
Onkyoku zu” potentially follows the style of this Osaka prints format.
The way the two dancers’ positions relate to each other is also typical of portraits ofactors [23]. Many of Yoshitaki’s print works were Chuban (middle-sized prints). Very often,these prints show two figures face-to-face simply because such a configuration fitted thedimensions of the sheet. We can see that while two women are grouped together in the centerof the image, there are four music players in relative isolation from each other as, unlike thedancers, they are not really looking at each other although they are playing in a concert. Thus,
the whole composition of “Kabu Onkyoku zu” was just like a patchwork of the several images
taken from prints. What was Yoshitaki probably trying to do was to construct a larger
composition from them.
He carried on composing images in this multi-layered way for hand paintings during the
Meiji era. In particular, this is obvious in “Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku Ikkadanran no zu”. On the other
hand and compared to “Kabu Onkyoku zu”, it seems that he tried to put more focus on therelationships between figures, such as a woman sewing and looking at the same time at a childstudying, while another woman by a charcoal brazier is listing to music. In other words, ineach case, human relations are expressed with the directions of the gazes or faces. The threegroups divided by screens are not only configured following some verticality, but also in a
way that creates a sense of perspective in the picture. This more complex composition is quite
effective is displaying the image of a happy family gathering at home.
The discussions above can be summarized as follows. Yoshitaki’s hand paintings in the
Meiji era, such as “Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku Ikkadanran no zu” and “Hinamatsuri-zu”, are composed ina more sophisticated way than in his previous works such as “Kabu Onkyoku zu”; In the latter,
he focused on the individual position of each female couple, while in “Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku
Ikkadanran no zu” he tried to relate each group to each other more closely as well as combining
figures and furniture (e.g. screens and hina dolls) together to create a more integrated space.
(3) The nature of Yoshitaki’s hand paintings
A close study of Yoshitaki’s hand paintings reveals that his style developed from his
portraits of actors, especially in the contours of figures, in the way he used colors, and how hedesigned the clothing as well as the composition as a whole. Then he developed compositions
in which depicted figures and objects were arranged in a more complex and sophisticated way.
It ensues that his paintings gained depth, with clear emphasis on human relationships
expressed for example by the feminine and elegant air of women exchanging gazes, or by themother looking at her child with affection. Such a gentle atmosphere made Yoshitaki’s hand

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painting begetting a new genre of family portrait in the Meiji era. This was precisely thereason why he was highly praised at the Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai.
Another point that needs to be considered is the historical background from the end of theEdo period to early Meiji. A number of factors in this period of fast changes might have driven
Yoshitaki to alter his course, not only in terms of stylistic development, but also his shift tohand paintings.
That was a time when the Ukiyo-e prints introduced a variety of new methods from theWest, including lithography, etching, and photography. This brought aspects of Westernrealism into the Ukiyo-e prints. How these new trends affected Yoshitaki’s evolution awaits
further studies–namely the shift from pictorial flatness to the effect of perspective as well as
using many straight lines rather than soft and simple curves.
Moreover, KŌNO Bairei’s and KUBOTA Beisen’s influences on Yoshitaki is another issue
to look at, since Yoshitaki decided because of them to apply to the Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai.
“Yoshitaki Gashū” contains a group painting in which KŌNO, KUBOTA and NOMURA
Bunkyō took part, who were three prestigious artists of the time. In particular KŌNO and
KUBOTA were members of the evaluation panel of the Kyōshinkai. The painting offers
evidence of the close ties Yoshitaki had with them [24].
This personal “networking” was another factor behind Yoshitaki’s abandonment of
portraits of actors to specialize in hand paintings. He produced hand paintings like “Kabu
Onkyoku zu” even before he stopped working with prints. Thus, it can be argued that the shift
to hand paintings in the Meiji era was a logical choice for him.

Conclusion
This essay attempted throughout to provide a reassessment of Yoshitaki’s work by
exploring both his prints and hand paintings.
Comparing “Kabu Onkyoku zu” with his portraits of actors confirmed that it was produced
at the end of the Edo era and that it adopted some elements of the Ukiyoe prints. “Shinzō
Tachisugata zu” and “Kiyomizu Butaitobi no Musume” are thought to be painted during the same
period. Thus, “Kabu Onkyoku zu” was not an exception but one of many hand paintings
Yoshitaki had already started during this time.
Hand paintings in the Meiji era such as “Kyoto Fujin Fūzoku Ikkadanran no zu” show
Yoshitaki’s change in style. He introduced perspective in his pictures, which successfully
created more complicated configurations compared with the flatness of, for example, “Kabu
Onkyoku zu”. This is what makes his work distinctive since no other artists amongst his
contemporaries adopted such a compositional style. Another distinctive feature is that hedivided the space into several parts in the way he positioned figures and furniture, enabling
him to depict exchanges of women’s gentle gazes and creating thus an atmosphere of happy
family life.
Yoshitaki’s works in the Meiji era have not so far been highly considered, being describedas “deteriorated quality”. However, this evaluation only took account of his prints. The fact isthat he was praised for his hand paintings at the Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshinkai and other exhibitions.

A look at some original paintings by Yoshitaki

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The fact that he was indeed asked for his pictures to be displayed proves that he was highly
appreciated in his time. The conclusion that is drawn here is that Yoshitaki’s hand paintings
should be given fair consideration if we are to assess the painter’s work as a whole. This iswhat this essay tried to do.
Around 1880, the Osaka prints were in decline with the effect that many other Ukiyo-e
painters tried to find new possibilities in other fields, just like Yoshitaki [25]. With this in mind,
his choice to abandon his portraits of actors to specialize in hand paintings was alreadyapparent at the end of the Edo period.
So far, Yoshitaki’s career as that of a hand painting artist has been ignored. This essay has
attempted to contribute to providing a new aspect of the painter’s work by looking at his earlybrush drawn paintings as well as those of the Meiji era. There are still some issues that await
future studies, one of which is Yoshitaki’s role in the development of Nihonga (Japanese style
paintings) in the modernizing process of Japan since he served as a teacher at the Kyoto
Prefectural Art School, an art institution that significantly contributed to the evolution of sucha specific style as well as to modern Japanese design.

Notes[1] KURODA Genji, Kamigata-e Ichiran, Sato Shōtaro Shoten, 1929
[2] For example, a catalogue of the exhibition 200 Anniversary of Kamigata Ukiyo-e held in
1950.
[3] MATSUDAIRA Susumu, Kamigata Ukiyo-e no Saihakken (Rediscovery of Kamigata Ukiyo-e),
Kodan-sha 1999
[4] Volume 5, Kamigata Yakusha-e Shūsei, 2005 and Kamigata Yakusha-e Chō, 2006
[5] Referred to Osaka no Nishiki-e Shinbun and a catalog of the exhibition Nishiki-e Shinbun in
Osaka, Meiji held at the Itami City Museum in 2006
[6] Referred to commentary by KITAGAWA Hiroko in Volume 5 of Kamigata Yakusha-eShūsei and Kamigata Yakusha-e Chō.
[7] Yoshitaki Gashū is a private publication by KAWASAKI Kyosen in 1931 that commemorates the 33rd anniversary of Yoshitaki’s death in 1931
[8] Ukiyo-e shi contained Yoshitaki’s episode along with an announcement of the publicationof Yoshitaki Gashū[9] Referred to the reprinted edition published by Showa Shuppan Ltd. From 1969 to 1971.
[10] Confirmed with reference to MATSUDAIRA Susumu, Kamigata Ukiyo-e no Saihakken(Rediscovery of Kamigata Ukiyo-e)[11] Many works in the book are missing.
[12] Yoshitaki did some print designs after he shifted to hand paintings. One of them was
Hikifuda (a wood block print advertisement) ordered by the Osaka Beer Brewery in Suita(The current Suita factory of Asahi Beer Ltd.). It was said that the founder, TORII
Komakichi asked Yoshitaki for Hikifuda to announce the establishment of the company
in 1891. The style in Hikifuda is similar to that in the hand paintings of the same period
in which many straight lines were used. Thus, it can be argued that he produced theimage in exactly the same way regardless of the format, prints or hand paintings.
[13] Art Catalogue Selection of Modern Japan, Naikoku Kaiga Kyōshin Kai, Yumani Shobō, 2001[14] Works were scored from 1 to 10 points according to ten criteria, namely, form, originality, composition, shape, brush work, how ink is used, how color is applied, liveliness,

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[15]
[16]

[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]

YAMAMOTO Sumiko

if following conventional rules, and respect for tradition. They all together made a totalof 100 points. A work that would score a full mark would be awarded a a gold medal;
higher than 70 points was a silver medal; higher than 50 was a bronze medal; and higher
than 30 was a merit.
Referred to reprinted edition published by Showa Shuppan Ltd., from 1969 to 1971.
The author was fortunate to do some research on the “Kabu Onkyhoku Zu” in the MFA,
which has also a large collection of Osaka prints. It seems that William. S. Bigelow, theoriginal collector, was keenly interested in the Osaka prints.
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Nikuhitsu Ukiyo-e (Ukiyo-e by hand paintings), Kodansha,
2000
Hizo Ukiyo-e Taikan, The British Museum, Kodansha, 1987
As seen in “Keisei Ishikawa Zome” from the Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum Collection.
As seen in “Katakiuchi Ganryū Jima” from the Kamigata Ukyo-e Museum Collection.
As seen in “Osome Hisamatsu Ukina no Yomiuri” from the collection of the Ikeda Bunko
Library, Hankyū Gakuen.
With acknowledgement of Ms KITAGAWA Hiroko, who advised on the differences
between Jozuri and Namizuri.
As seen in “Keisei Ōmonguchi” from the collection of the Ikeda Bunko Library, Hankyū
Gakuen.
Three artists worked together at the Kyoto Prefectural Art School. Yoshitaki’s personal
networks in Kyoto is a topic for future studies.
In the Kamigata magazine is a report written by MITANI Sadahiro reported that
YUKAWA Shōdō, a Kamigata Ukiyo-e artist, joined the Asahi Newspaper Ltd. in 1881 as
an illustrator. MITANI was an apprentice of YUKAWA.