Samurai warriors in Tosa school of art

The Tosa school of art will always leave a lasting impression on the art of Japan and highlight the richness of culture in this country. This applies to the natural beauty of this art form and the connection with the imperial court. Tosa artists had the official backing of the imperial court from the fifteenth century and this lasted until the late nineteenth century.

However, the revolutionary period of the Meiji era changed many things and this also applied to political intrigues, art, culture, modernization, and many other important areas. Therefore, the Tosa artistic connection with the imperial court came to an end but the richness of the legacy of so many Tosa artists means that this art form is embedded within high culture, history, and many important areas related to Japanese culture.

Tosa Mitsunobu (1434-1525) is regarded to be the real founder of the Tosa school because of the strong connection which occurred with the imperial court during the same timeframe. Indeed, the reputation of Tosa Mitsunobu is extremely high because of his artistic skills. Within the Tosa school you have three individual artists who are collectively called "The Three Brushes." This applies to Tosa Mitsunobu, Tosa Mitsunaga, and Tosa Mitsuoki.

In the later part of the Muromachi period (1333-1568) the importance of Tosa artists increased dramatically. They were now responsible for portraying the ruling classes and this applies to hanging scrolls which were formal. Also, the connection of Buddhism within this art form can be felt deeply within some major works by Tosa Mitsunobu.

The British Museum comments that "The Tosa school of painters were official artists to the imperial court from the fifteenth to the end of the nineteenth century. The family name Tosa is said to derive from Tosa Province in Shikoku where the court painter Fujiwara no Tsunetaka became governor in the thirteenth century, but the Tosa artists of the Edo period (1600-1868) date their lineage back further still, to the eleventh century. They painted in the Yamato-e style, often taking their themes from classical literature, especially Genji monogatari ('The Tale of Genji')."

"The Tosa style is bright, with flat colour in decorative compositions combined with delicate outline and careful attention to detail. Viewpoints are often sharply angled, looking into interior spaces with, by convention, the roof removed (fuki-nuki yatai)."

The importance and influence of the Tosa school ebbed and flowed. For example, during the late sixteenth century the political and military convulsions of Japan meant this art form entered a period of decreasing influence. Interestingly, with the strong connection of the imperial court and Buddhism playing an important rule, it is speculative to believe that Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi believed that this art form could be manipulated by elites which desired to preserve their respective power bases.

It is abundantly clear that Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) was open to Christianity for political reasons (his brother converted to the Christian faith), modernization, tax reforms, centralization, giving the peasants more freedom, utilizing modern warfare, and other dynamics. He and Toyotomi Hideyoshi fought the military warriors of Buddhism and this can be seen by Oda Nobunaga's forces crushing the warlike Tendai Buddhists of Mt. Hiei and he would also attack Kyoto. Toyotomi Hideyoshi who followed in the footsteps of Oda Nobunaga would also destroy more than 2,000 Buddhist temples in 1585 in and around Negoro-ji in Wakayama.

However, during the Tokugawa period the gradual power base of Buddhism re-emerged and soon all converts to Christianity would be killed and the openness of economic reforms to help the peasants would be reduced once more. Therefore, the re-emergence of the Tosa school could be linked to the genius of Tosa Mitsuoki (1617-1691), returning to Kyoto, or to the power dynamics of the Tokugawa period which were embedded with Buddhist elites, in order to maintain the status quo. Which factor was more important in this period of Japan is debatable and dependent on historical, political, and religious motives?

Turning back to The British Museum then it is commented that "After a period of decline, coinciding with the civil wars of the late sixteenth century, Mitsuoki brought about a revival. Mitsuoki, appointed edokoro azukari ('custodian of the office of painting') in 1654, was heavily influenced by Chinese painting and produced elegant kachōga (bird-and-flower paintings)."

The legacy of the Tosa school is ever-lasting because of the strong connection with the imperial court and other power mechanisms like Buddhism which played a pivotal role within Japanese high culture. Therefore, artists like Tosa Mitsunobu have left behind a rich legacy which graces not only Japanese art but also international art.

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2012/02/08/japan-tourism-and-wakayama-negoro-ji-and-stunning-buddhist-temples/

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com