Japan: Notable Artists and their Art

1050s - Jocho (All Facts)

• Japanese Sculptor during the Heian Period

• His most famous work is the “Amitabha Buddha” in the Phoenix Hall of the Byodo-in Temple

• He popularized the yosegi technique of sculpting a single figure out of many pieces of wood

• He redefined the canon of body proportions used to create Buddhist imagery

1053 - Jocho: Amitabha Buddha of Phoenix Hall (All Facts)

• It is made of wood

1559 - 1635 - Kano Sanraku (All Facts)

• Japanese Painter during the Tokugawa Shogunate

• He was (is) best remembered for his Chinese-style ink paintings

• He had a restless life, after which he took holy orders in Kyoto

• He was the leader of the “Kyoto Kano” School of painting

1558 - 1637 - Honami Koetsu (All Facts)

• Japanese Calligrapher during the Tokugawa Shogunae

  • He was a much admired calligrapher, and his calligraphy earned him the most fame

  • He was one of the most versatile talents of his day

• His brushwork was characterized by its

  • classical style

  • soft, full, sensuous, smooth, and graceful lines

• He collaborated a lot with Towaraya Sotatsu, one of whose works he embellished with a beautifully written poem

• He was also

  • a swordsmith, who came from a family of swordsmiths

  • fascinated by the tea ceremony of Japan and was a famous devotee of it

  • a designer of lacquer ware and ceramics

  • a gardener

  • a painter

• He

  • lived out his life in exile at Takagamine, on the orders of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu

  • died at his villages of craftsmen at Takagamine

1570 - 1640 - Tawaraya Sōtatsu (All Facts)

• Japanese Painter

  • He also designed furniture, including screens and fans

  • He once painted a scroll which was embellished with a poem written by Honami Koetsu

1596 - 1666 - Sakaida Kakeimon (All Facts)

• Japanese Potter

  • He was (is) considered the master of Japanese pottery

• He was (is) famous for his development of overglaze enamel-decorated porcelain, in particular the red enamel color

• He became the first Japanese potter to sell his ware to Europeans

• He won local fame when he presented his gold, silver, and colored enamel to the lord of Nabeshima

• It is said that his name was changed by a nobleman for whom he had made a porcelain ornament in the form of two persimmons whose Japanese name was the first four letters of the namesake

1658 - 1716 - Ogata Korin / Ogata Koretomi (All Facts)

• Japanese Painter

• His works are marked by naturalism and an obvious talent for design

• He was born into a wealthy merchant family

• His profligate lifestyle led him into financial difficulties, which forced him to take up painting as a profession