Tomioka Tessai
| Tomioka Tessai | |
|---|---|
Tomioka Tessai
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| Born |
Tomioka Yusuke, Tomioka Hyakuren January 27, 1837 Kyoto, Japan |
| Died | December 31, 1924 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Known for | Painter, Calligrapher |
| Movement | Bunjinga, Nihonga |
| Two Divinities Dancing | |
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| Japanese: 二神会舞図 | |
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| Artist | Tomioka Tessai |
| Year | 1924 |
| Type | Nihonga watercolor on silk |
| Dimensions | 169 cm × 86 cm (67 in × 34 in) |
| Location | Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo |
Tomioka Tessai (富岡 鉄斎?, 27 January 1837 – 31 December 1924) was the pseudonym for a painter and calligrapher in imperial Japan. He is regarded as the last major artist in the Bunjinga tradition and one of the first major artists of the Nihonga style. His real name was Yusuke, which he later changed to Hyakuren.
Tessai was born in 1837 in Kyoto, as the second son of Tomioka Korenobu, who sold sacerdotal robes. Because his hearing was not good his parents decided he should be a scholar, rather than a merchant. He was educated as a scholar in classical Chinese philosophy and literature and the ancient Japanese classics under noted kokugaku scholar Okuni Tadamasa.
Tessai's father died in 1843, when he was only seven. The family fortunes declined, and young Tessai became a page at a Shinto shrine. Twelve years later, he came to be lodged with the now-famous Buddhist poet and nun Ōtagaki Rengetsu, who would become his greatest scholarly mentor and supporter. He developed his own style over the next decade or so, studying under a number of accomplished painters.
In 1861, Tessai opened a private school in Rengetsu's house to teach painting; he went on to become a teacher at the newly inaugurated Ritsumeikan University in 1868. He also did some work for the new Meiji government, contributing maps and topographical charts he created. Throughout the Meiji period, Tessai traveled extensively, visiting famous and scenic places that would later become subjects of his paintings. He was able to see many different sides of the country all the way from Nagasaki to Hokkaidō. He also served as a Shinto priest at a number of different shrines, but ultimately resigned from his final post when his brother died, so that he could look after his mother.
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