Continuing from the last time, we introduced Shinhanga artists. This time, I would like to introduce Takahashi Shotei(高橋松亭).

Birth of Takahashi Shoutei and frontispiece Painter

His real name is Matsumoto Katsutaro(松本勝太郎) . He was born in Asakusa Mukaiyanagi-cho(Current Taito Asakusabashi) in Meiji 4 period(1871).His father’s name is Matsumoto Masayasu(松本正奏).

Study period

Shoutei began studying painting when he was nine years old.Shoutei began studying painting when he was nine years old.His uncle was a Kikuchi School artist(菊池派) and was taught by Matsumoto Fuuko(松本楓湖).

I explained about Kikuchi school and Kikuchi Yosai, so please have a look there.

Historical painter Kikuchi Yousai

So he got his uncle, Matsumoto Fuuko, to sign “Shoutei 松亭”.

Departure as a frontispiece painter

Matsutei moved to Shitaya Kurazaka when he was 15-6 years old. He gets a job at the Foreign Affairs Division of the Imperial Household Ministry.In 1884, he met Okakura Tenshin岡倉天心 . At that time, he established the “Youth Painting Association(青年絵画協会)” with young painters such as Ogata Gekko尾形月耕, Kobori Tomoto小堀鞆音, Murata Tanryo村田丹陵, Tomioka Eisen富岡永洗, and Terasaki Kogyo寺崎広業.

The existence of Tenshin Okakura affects the entire Japanese art world.

In addition, we will participate in the “Gohyoukai 互評会” established by Tenshin Okakura, which is a place to evaluate each other’s works.
The representative painters of modern Japan, Yokoyama Taikan 横山大観,Shimomura Kanzan 下村観山 , and Hishida Shunsou菱田春草 will also participate here.However, there is no record of who was influenced by Shoutei or who he was close to.

Shoutei seems to have been working as an illustrator for nearly 10 years from the 24th year of the Meiji era, and the frontispiece of Shoutei remains.It will also be exhibited at exhibitions such as the “National Industrial Exhibition(勧業博覧会)” and “Craft Gongjinhui(工芸共進会)” for 10 years when Shoutei has been working as an illustrator.

This is the only frontispiece found so far.Shoutei is also involved in the production of reprinted woodblock prints.

Takahashi Shotei picture revealing character

There are few records of what kind of person Takahashi Shotei was. However, he seems to have been a dexterous person and a good painter.He seems to have a lot of trouble when transcribing a handwriting into a woodblock print, but he was a person who could do it without difficulty.

In addition, he seems to have been able to play an active role as a publisher,and it seems that he was able to gather important Printer and Carver in woodblock prints.

Encounter with Shozaburo Watanabe

Shozaburo Watanabe was active in advocating the “Shin-hanga movement” from the Taisho era to the Showa era. This movement is a movement to revive the prints that had been declining since the beginning of the Meiji era.
He created unprecedented works while emphasizing tradition.
The important thing is three people, a painter, a printer, and a carver, who developed a new technique for woodblock prints.Most of the woodblock prints produced by Shoutei between 1907 and 1940 are published by Watanabe Woodblock.

first work was also sold by Watanabe Woodblock Print Shop.

Currently, only this one piece of Shoutei woodblock print work has been found, and it was exhibited at the local museum in Ota Ward(大田区郷土博物館).

Not limited to Shoutei works, Shinhanga were mainly sold at tourist spots. The place where it was sold was Karuizawa, where there were many summer resorts and embassies for foreigners.Sales were strong.

What Shoutei chose as the motif

Shoutei’s theme was the ancient landscapes and traditions of Japan.Many of the works are reminiscent of Hiroshige and Hokusai’s Meisho e.

Many of Shoutei’s early works are reminiscent of Hiroshige and Hokusai’s famous paintings.

Change sign from 「Shoutei(松亭)」 to 「Koji(弘治)」

Shoutei has changed his sign twice.Changed from Shoytei(松亭) to Koji(弘治).It is unknown why he changed his signature.However, the time when the sign was changed has been researched and found out. He has been using the “Koji” sign since around 1924(Taisho 13 period).Shoutei is around 50 years old.

Since Matsutei began to use Koji’s signature, the subject matter is not limited to landscape paintings, but there are also works on beauty woman paintings and animals.The above work was produced from 1929 to 1932(Showa 4 to 7).The above Matsutei work is published not by “Watanabe Woodblock　渡辺木版” but by the publisher “Fusui gabou 孚水画房”.

Many of Koji’s works are vertically long, and the shadows are skillfully drawn.All publishers are Watanabe woodblocks except ” Koshu Saruhashi (Fusui gabou 孚水画房)”

There are few animal works drawn by Shoutei .However, Matsutei also draws animals. The subjects are dogs and cats. All publishers are Watanabe woodblocks except ” White cat and black cat playing with Mari (Fusui gabou 孚水画房)”

Shoutei hand drawn work

There are no records of Matsutei’s hand-drawn works.He had a job of drawing frontispieces for 10 years from 1891, but during that time he exhibited at the “勧業博覧会” and “Crafts Gongjinhui 工芸共進会” and received first and second prizes. What kind of art work It doesn’t know if it is.

However, Shoutei seems to have been drawing handwriting after that.

The above two works are said to have been drawn by Matsutei.
The work on the left depicts a spring night, and the work on the right depicts an autumn mountain road. Both are motif that are typical of Shoutei.The work on the left has a sign of “松亭” and is said to have been drawn in the late Meiji period(1910~20), and the work on the right has a signof “弘治” and is said to be a work of the early Showa period(1930).

Shoutei drawing power seems to be very good, and he was making hand-drawn works while working on new prints.
He also produces works that copy the hand-painted works of ukiyo-e artists into Wood Block prints.

Matsutei’s works handled in our shop