Kobayashi Kiyochika
A woodblock print artist of the Meiji period who gained popularity for his skillful depiction of light and shade in prints of Tokyo during its early Westernization
1847-1915
Kobayashi Kiyochika was a Meiji woodblock print artist and political cartoonist. His childhood name was Katsunosuke. He was born as the youngest of nine siblings into a family of officials in charge of government rice granaries in the Okurayashiki neighborhood (near the Ryogoku Sumo Hall) of Honjo in Edo. His father died when he was 15, and he took over as head of the family. At the end of the Edo period, in his role as assistant accountant, he followed Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi to the capital, Kyoto, and stayed in Osaka. In 1868 he participated in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, but the Tokugawa forces lost, and he returned to Edo. With the transfer of Edo Castle to the Meiji government, the government rice granaries also came under the control of the new government, and Kiyochika followed the shogun and his family and moved to Shizuoka.
In 1874, at the age of 27, he returned to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and devoted himself to printmaking. It is said that around this time he studied photography under Shimooka Renjo, Japanese painting under Kawanabe Kyosai and Shibata Zeshin, and Western painting under the English news correspondent and painter Charles Wirgman, although none of this is certain. In 1876 he published the series of prints Tokyo meisho zu (Famous Places of Tokyo). While following traditional woodblock print techniques, he also introduced Western shading into his art by showing objects' shadows or silhouettes. This series, because it introduced a hitherto unknown type of graphic expression into prints of Tokyo during its early Westernization, proved popular among the people and vaulted Kiyochika's stature as a printmaker. The following year he entered the print Neko to chochin (Cat and Lantern) in the First National Industrial Exhibition. In 1881 he entered the company Marumaru Sha, publisher of the illustrated political-lampoon magazine Marumaru chanbun (Outrageous News), where he was responsible for drawing caricatures. He also drew illustrations for a number of newspapers, such as Tokyo nichinichi shinbun and Hochi shinbun. In 1893 he entered the company Niroku Shinpo Sha, publisher of the newspaper Niroku shinpo[Alan1] . During the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, he published numerous dramatic colored prints of the battle scenes, which were well received. In his final years he painted many original paintings.
[Alan1]当時には、新聞の名前は『二六新聞』ではなく、『二六新報』のようです。https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%8C%E5%85%AD%E6%96%B0%E5%A0%B1
Related People, Things and Events
Books
Related Works
Drawings of Ariwara no Narihira in paintings (Rokkasen (Imaginary portraits of The Six Immortal Poets), Sanju-rokkasen (Imaginary portraits of the Thirty-six Immortal Poets))
Drawings of Ariwara no Narihira in paintings (Ise Monogatari)
Drawings of Ariwara no Narihira in paintings (other)
Other items
Past Exhibitions
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Institutions Holding Related Materials
The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.
As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.
江戸時代後期から明治時代中期の貴重な資料を保管する「特別文庫室」にて、小林清親の錦絵を多数所蔵。資料請求を行えば、室内で資料の閲覧が可能。
浮世絵専門美術館。五代太田清蔵が蒐集した約12,000点を含めた約14,000点の浮世絵を所蔵。小林清親の作品も多数所蔵し、企画展などで公開。
江戸東京の歴史と文化を実物資料や復元模型等を用いて紹介。小林清親の作品を100点以上所蔵。
東京ガスの事業の歴史とくらしとガスのかかわりをご紹介する歴史博物館。 小林清親の作品を含む、明治錦絵約400点を所蔵し、企画展などで公開。
静岡県にゆかりのある小林清親の作品を約30点所蔵。
External Links
External Links
江戸東京博物館に収蔵されている小林清親の作品が閲覧できる。
明治時代の錦絵について解説されたコラム。小林清親の「光線画」も紹介。
足立区立郷土博物館に収蔵されている小林清親の作品を閲覧可能。
References
- 小林清親 [画],練馬区立美術館, 静岡市美術館 編集,青幻舎
- 日立デジタル平凡社,平凡社