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Eric Birkle
Hasegawa Tohaku
Art 303 – Art of the Non-Western World
Prof. Sarah Christensen
November 19, 2014
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Among the numerous periods that constitute the history of modern-day Japan, there
was perhaps none was more lavish in terms of its art than that of the Momoyama Period,
which lasted from 1573 to 1615. During this time, an extremely powerful wealthy class of
merchants emerged as remnants of the preceding Muromachi Period – one of persisting
civil wars. These wars were in part caused by Zen Buddhism’s loss of support and
momentum by the end of the Muromachi Period, and the seizing of power by the Shoguns,
who were the hereditary military leaders of the region. These warlords were responsible for
the commissioning of elaborate palaces and castles, along with highly ornate screenpaintings which were used to decorate them. Such Momoyama Period screens were
specifically designed to match the brilliance and heroic spirit of the palace’s occupants – a
quality which was achieved through the implementation of gold and other vibrant colors. In
this way, it can be said that Momoyama artwork was in part a reaction against the strict and
over-refined guidelines found in the preceding Muromachi culture. 1 Momoyama Japan
would also see a much more unified society and culture than Muromachi Japan, and this
unification was brought about by Oda Nobunaga and, later on, continued by Hideyoshi.
These two men, although often regarded as warriors, were also both huge patrons of the arts
at the Imperial Court. In addition, it was during their reigns that Japan saw further
development of the renowned tea ceremony as well as a number of rapidly developing
artists’ gilds.2 However, one of the greatest works of architecture constructed during the
Momoyama Period is that of the Chijaku-in temple at Kyoto, the interior of which contains
wall paintings by perhaps the era’s greatest Japanese artist: Hasegawa Tohaku.
Hasegawa Tohaku (1539 – 1610) was born in the old Noto Province in northern
central Japan. As many scholars note, Tohaku’s greatest inspiration came from a Japanese
monk and painter by the name of Sesshu Toyo (1420 – 1506). Although Tohaku was never
1
2
Yukio Yashiro, 2000 Years of Japanese Art (New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers, 1958), 29.
Bradley Smith, Japan: A History in Art (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1964), 164-165.
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apprenticed to Toyo himself, he did take up an offer to study under Toyo’s successor,
Toshun. During his time at the Sesshu school, Tohaku learned and perfected the technique of
monochrome painting – a method he employed in what would later become his most famous
painting. In his twenties, Tohaku became very interested in Buddhist iconography as well as
Yamato-e, a native Japanese style of painting that was inspired by works from China’s Tang
dynasty. At this time, the young artist also took to studying Chinese Yuan and Sung Period
ink paintings by great masters such as Mu Chi. By the age of 33, Tohaku had moved to Kyoto
to study a form of Chinese academic painting under the emerging Kano school. 3 However,
his apprenticeship at the Kano school was extremely short-lived as Tohaku was very
independent minded. It would prove to be another new and emerging style during the
Momoyama Period, initiated by Tohaku’s contemporary Eitoku, which combined more
traditional techniques with then-modern decorative power, that Tohaku embraced in the
creation of his most famous work Pine Forest.4
Pine Forest (circa 1600) is a monochrome India ink painting that does anything but
imitate conventional composition, yet it does pull some inspiration from Chinese landscape
painting. The scene depicted, which spans two six-panel screens, is that of a wood
composed of pine trees as seen through a thick, hanging mist (see Figures 1 and 2). Here,
Tohaku expertly renders, through simple variations in thickness of the brushstroke, the
various textures of needles, tree trunks, and roots that emerge from a nearly
undistinguishable ground. Equally indistinct are the silhouettes of the pine trees which are
recessed at varying distances, while a snow-covered mountain peak in the distance, defined
just enough to separate itself from the background, may serve to suggest that the recession,
and therefore the physical space represented, is infinite.5 The vast amount of negative space
3
“Hasegawa Tohaku (1539 – 1610).” Accessed October 24, 2014.
http://www.mibudera.com/eng/pages/artworks/paintings/tohaku.html
4
Treasures of Asia: Japanese Painting (Geneva, Switzerland: Skira, 1961), 126-127.
5
Treasures of Asia: Japanese Painting, 127.
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in the composition proves to be equally symbolic, and should by no means be considered
empty. In fact, Tohaku’s mist takes up such a large majority of picture plane that it can be
safely argued that capturing the essence of mist was in fact the painter’s primary goal in
creating this work. The mist creates a visual emptiness which evokes a sense of time, and
may even be a physical depiction of the complex thought that takes place deep within the
human mind. Indeed, as Tohaku painted this scene after a time of prolonged grief following
the death of his son, it is likely that the landscape serves as a representation of a mental
image as opposed to reality. Fittingly, the blank space or “gap”, ma in Japanese, is
described as a meaningful void, and the setting recalls the significance of haiku, a traditional
Japanese poem evoking images of the natural world.6 Typical of Chinese painting, Tohaku
has left out unnecessary details and gives the trees an intriguing human-like quality. In a
blatant rejection of what would later come to be considered pretentious, Tohaku includes no
sort of complex forms, intricate intertwining, or combination of showy colors usually seen in
Momoyama art. Instead, he creates an understated glimpse into the elusive quality of a
haunting solitude.7 Tohaku’s unique approach to landscape painting exhibited in Pine Forest
would prove to be very inspirational to the later 19 th century Japanese artist Ikeda Koson
(1802 – 1867). During the Edo Period in Japan, Koson produced what is now a famous twofold screen ink painting of smaller proportions entitled Cypress Trees, in which is depicted a
mist-shrouded woodland with a still atmosphere that recalls Tohaku’s earlier masterpiece.8
Another well-known work by Hasegawa Tohaku is his masterpiece entitled Maple
Tree (circa 1593) which was historically attributed to the Japanese artist Eitoku previously
mentioned (see Figure 3). This work, an elaborate screen painting typical of the lavish
Momoyama period, was commissioned for Kyoto’s Chijaku-in temple discussed earlier. The
6
Masako Takeda, “Emily Dickinson and Japanese Aesthetics,” The Emily Dickinson Journal 22.2 (2013).
Peter C. Swann, The Art of Japan from the Jomon Period to the Tokugawa Period (Baden-Baden, Germany: Holle Verlag
G.M.B.H., 1966), 178.
8
Miyeko Murase, Masterpieces of Japanese Screen Painting (New York: George Braziller Inc., 1990), 62.
7
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scene depicting, as its title suggests, a maple tree, may have been one of a set of two screen
paintings – its complimentary work Cherry Tree was likely the creation of Tohaku’s son (see
Figure 4). Additionally, the two works serve as great examples of surviving Japanese fusuma
painting, in which the screens also function as sliding panels so as to allow for the
redefinition of a room’s size and space.9 However, there is evidence that the works were at
some point cut and resized. The brushwork that creates the large tree trunk’s vital
movement parallels Tohaku’s treatment of the trees in his Pine Forest. However, in stark
contrast to this work, what abounds in Maple Tree is the usage of color. Further, the solid
golden background in Maple Tree, whose purpose may be to symbolize the soil, creates a
space that is markedly more flat is seen in Pine Forest. The colors of the autumn plants
blooming at the base of the tree are also vivid and harmonious.10 This combination of the
bold, heavy form of the tree and the countless forms of the flowers and smaller tree limbs
avoids all appearance of clutter or repetition, and creates a display of various color values. 11
Undeniably, the sheer versatility exhibited by Japanese artist Hasegawa Tohaku
through his works Pine Forest and Maple Tree is astounding. Tohaku masterfully conveys two
distinct perceptions of space; one whose depth is infinite, and another whose emphasis is on
a dramatically flattened foreground. These reasons are just a few among many that explain
why Tohaku would become the most famous artist to emerge during the Momoyama period.
In appealing to the Momoyama Period’s style and desire for ornate and “showy” screen
paintings (Pine Forest doing so mentally and emotionally rather than physically), Tohaku
discovered his own, unique way of expression which in turn allowed him to stand out from
his contemporaries. However, his style was never a stagnant one, but was instead everchanging – a quality not at all unlike the natural world which he so portrayed and loved.
9
Noma Seiroku, The Arts of Japan – Late Medieval to Modern (New York: Kodansha International, Ltd., 1967), 45, 207.
Treasures of Asia, 129.
11
Seiroku, The Arts of Japan, 29.
10
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Bibliography
“Hasegawa Tohaku (1539 – 1610).” Accessed October 24, 2014.
http://www.mibudera.com/eng/pages/artworks/paintings/tohaku.html
Murase, Miyeko. Masterpieces of Japanese Screen Painting. New York: George Braziller Inc.,
1990.
Seiroku, Noma. The Arts of Japan – Late Medieval to Modern. New York: Kodansha
International, Ltd., 1967.
Smith, Bradley. Japan: A History in Art. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1964.
Swann, Peter C. The Art of Japan from the Jomon Period to the Tokugawa Period. BadenBaden, Germany: Holle Verlag G.M.B.H., 1966.
Takeda, Masako. “Emily Dickinson and Japanese Aesthetics.” The Emily Dickinson Journal
22.2 (2013): 26-45, 135.
Treasures of Asia: Japanese Painting. Geneva, Switzerland: Skira, 1961.
Yashiro, Yukio. 2000 Years of Japanese Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers, 1958.
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Eric Birkle
Autumn Serenity: Art Inspired by Hasegawa Tohaku
Art 303 – Art of the Non-Western World
Prof. Sarah Christensen
November 19, 2014
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It is no secret that each artist finds inspiration in a variety of things, and artists of
generations and centuries past are often one among them. Personally, I have always been
very drawn to representational works that include a commentary on life and / or the divine.
However, I have also come to respect a certain degree of abstraction, so long as the
abstraction assists in conveying a depth of meaning. The unique style of Hasegawa Tohaku is
just one of many examples in which qualities of highly representational artwork and that
which is abstract fuse into a pleasantly self-sustaining combination of the two forms. It is for
this very reason that, throughout my time as an artist, I have always had the deepest respect
and appreciation for non-western works of art, although admittedly I knew very little about
them until my taking this class. Indeed, the way in which Tohaku captures the beauty of a
natural landscape while simultaneously instilling a sense of profoundness in the viewer is a
quality worthy of great recognition.
In my work, I strive to depict people, places, and things, but not in such a way that
the result appears as a copy of classical works. Instead, my intention is for those viewing my
artwork to find something that resonates with their innermost being. Much like Tohaku, I
have no desire to depict any sort of contemporary event or to comment on society or its
standards in any way. What I do desire to do is to encourage viewers to really reflect upon
what they see before them. The ultimate goal, however, is to push onlookers to see more
than what is literally present in the piece, and thus to think beyond the physical realm. By
leaving the descriptions of my work to a vague minimum, I believe it instills qualities such as
timelessness and universality found in Tohaku’s Pine Forest.
In my watercolor painting, Autumn Serenity, I have done my best to emulate Tohaku’s
sort-of “less is more” style from his Pine Forest in addition to the afore-mentioned aspect of
timelessness (see Figure 5). Formally, I have attempted to achieve this quality through an
apparently non-specific light source and a landscape setting that feels mysterious yet
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calming. Much like Tohaku, I generally find myself to be inspired by my natural
surroundings; thus landscapes constitute a major portion of my oeuvre. Autumn Serenity was
particularly inspired by a solitary stroll I had taken late in the fall through a remote park in
Genesee County, Michigan.
Aside from the conceptual aspects of the work, I also strived to emulate Tohaku’s
formal methods in Autumn Serenity by applying the paint to the paper in slow, deliberate
strokes. I layered numerous colors using a wet-on-dry method to achieve a soft texture and
smooth color blend similar to that which can be found in Tohaku’s Pine Forest. I did have
several frustrating instances where the paint mixed together and resulted in a few effects
which were not originally intended. However, as the piece approached completion, I began
to feel more satisfied with my ability to execute the technique as well as the visual results. As
the landscape recedes into space, the atmospheric perspective takes effect and the overall
visual becomes gradually less distinct. Similarly to Tohaku’s Maple Tree, although without its
flatness, a mountain range in the background serves to define the deepest parts of the
space, and the tree in the nearest portion of the foreground is not contained entirely inside
the picture plane. I employed this quality here to allude to the fact that not everything is as it
seems.
Hasegawa Tohaku has truly influenced and mentally challenged me in my role as an
art historian, much as he has greatly influenced many artists before me. His works
encompass everything that I believe art should be: something worth looking at while also
being something worth thinking about. For me, Tohaku masterfully combines the traditional
and the more “modern” qualities in art, which perhaps best explains why I respect him so
much. He uses not only an intriguing mixture of elements in his artwork, but also succeeds in
commenting on complicated subjects with profound simplicity – something that many have
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attempted, but few have achieved throughout history. This quality, I believe, is one worth
emulating.
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Figures:
Figure 1: Hasegawa Tohaku, Pine Forest (left portion), c. 1600
http://kiritz.jp/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Pine-Trees-left.jpeg
Figure 2: Hasegawa Tohaku, Pine Forest (right portion), c. 1600
http://kiritz.jp/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Pine-Trees-right.jpeg
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Figure 3: Hasegawa Tohaku, Maple Tree, c. 1593
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_la7hnoRdsc1qzeqzio1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJP67HANH6OVWE
MMQ&Expires=1416094980&Signature=clpyzcnR1XEENjzZ65z1qDvjS%2B4%3D#_=_
Figure 4: Perhaps Kyuzo or Soya Tohaku (sons of Hasegawa Tohaku), Cherry Tree, c. 1593
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_daG05QI4DBQ/S7HscljjvMI/AAAAAAAAGF8/MJP6RHr-nkY/s1600/kyuzou_cherry00.jpg
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Figure 5: Eric Birkle, Autumn Serenity, 2014