Page:A history of Japanese colour-prints by Woldemar von Seidlitz.djvu/389

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NINETEENTH-CENTURY ARTISTS
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(Kiki­) (gawa ) (Yei­) (zan) The only real rival of Hokusai between 1810 and 1820 was Kikugawa Yeizan, whose real name was Giokusai Mangoro, a son of the painter Kano Yeiji, in Yedo.[1] At first he worked at making artificial flowers, then studied the style of Utamaro, later that of Hokusai, entered into friendly relations with Hokkei, and, lastly, imitated Kunisada.

Of his works may be mentioned:—

  • A series of the twelve months.
  • Snow, moon, and flowers, 3 sheets.
  • Series of large figures in half length.

From the year 1829 he began to compose his own texts, which he then illustrated. Strange reproduces, at page 58, a woman with an umbrella. A pupil of his was Keisai Yeisen, of whom we shall speak later.

Closely related to Utamaro is also Shiko, a painter of the Ganku school; Strange, who is almost inclined to prefer him to Utamaro, reproduces a kakemono-ye by him at page 60.[2] Some of his prints remind one of Hokusai's best period.

Of other artists the following may be mentioned:—

Mori Shunkei, with his Gwafu, representations of flowers, birds, and insects in polychrome, after Chinese models, 1820 (Anderson Catalogue, p. 364).

Kawamura Bumpo, a pupil of Ganku. He began to illustrate books as early as 1800 (Duret, No. 468). Bumpo Gwafu, in the Chinese style, appeared at Kioto in 1813 (Gillot Catalogue). Books of reproductions after his work, containing landscapes and genre pictures, appeared in the years 1809-24 (Burty Catalogue, No. 136 ff.; Anderson Catalogue, p. 449).

Oishi Matora (1792-1833), a celebrated illustrator of meishos (books of travel). By him appeared caricatures in

  1. Anderson Cat., p. 363; Fenollosa Cat, No. 393; Strange, p. 57.
  2. Anderson Cat., p. 449; Strange, p. 58.