Jichosai

Jichosai was a caricature painter from Osaka, who first gained popularlity during the mid-Edo era. Jichosai, whose real name was Heizaburo Matsuya, painted while running his business. Ehon Mizu ya Sora (Picture Book of Water and Sky, 1780) and Ehon Kotoritsugai (Picture Book of Light-hearted Takes on Contrasts, 1805) are his best-known works.

The roots of Jichosai’s painting style is said to be a style of sketched caricatures called Toba-e. This painting genre that draws people and animals satirically became popular around Osaka during the 18th century.

It is said that the term Toba-e is derived from the name of Toba Sojo, a monk and the painter of Choju-giga (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals). Starting with Shunboku Ohoka’s Keihitsu Toba-guruma (Toba Caricature Sketchbook) from the Kano School, many great Toba-e works were drawn, such as Kuniyoshi Utagawa’s Kingyozukushi Hyakumonogatari (Goldfish: The Hundred Tales) and Hokusai Katushika’s Hokusai Manga (Hokusai’s Sketches).

His paintings are acclaimed for not just being satirical, but also giving us a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people of the day.