Kobayashi Kiyochika

Key facts

Lived

1847–1915, Japanese

Movement

• Ukiyo-e

1. 1847Born on 10 September in Asakusa, Edo (now Tokyo), the youngest of nine children. His father was a low-ranking samurai retainer who oversaw government rice granaries.
2. 1862Took over as head of the household at age 15 following his father's death in Edo, changing his name from Katsunosuke. He would soon witness the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate firsthand.
3. 1868Fought on the shogunate's side at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in Kyoto at age 20 during the Boshin War. After the defeat of the shogun's forces, he retreated to Osaka.
4. 1876Began producing his Famous Places of Tokyo woodblock print series at age 29 after returning to the renamed Tokyo. The series of 93 prints, with 25 nocturnal scenes, captured the city's rapid modernisation using his distinctive kosen-ga (light-ray) technique.
5. 1881Lost his home in the Great Fire at Ryogoku on 26 January while he was out sketching at age 33 in Tokyo. He sketched the Great Fire at Hisamatsu-cho in February, and both fires became the basis of well-received prints.
6. 1894Created a popular series of war prints documenting the First Sino-Japanese War at age 47. He also established an art school in Tokyo, where his student Tsuchiya Koitsu would live and train under him for nearly two decades.
7. 1904Produced another series of war prints chronicling the Russo-Japanese War at age 57. These prints documented major events of the conflict and proved popular with the public.
8. 1915Died on 28 November at the age of 68. He is regarded as the last master of the ukiyo-e tradition, yet his work also helped pave the way for the shin-hanga movement that revitalised Japanese printmaking.

• What is Kobayashi Kiyochika known for?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika is known for designing prints and returning to the traditional theme of the "One Hundred Views of Musashi" series. This series, published from 1884 to 1885, was designed after Hiroshige’s "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo".
• What is Kobayashi Kiyochika's most famous work?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika is known for his woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) that document the rapid modernisation of Tokyo during the Meiji period (1868-1912). While it is difficult to name one single "most famous" work, several series and individual prints have secured his place in art history. His early prints, beginning in 1876, depict Tokyo in a Westernised style, and were published in an untitled series by Daikokuya Heikichi and later by Fukuda Kumajirō. These prints often capture the changing urban environment, incorporating elements of Western art such as light and shadow. Later, Kiyochika produced the comical series "Kiyochika Punch" (Kiyochika ponchi) in 1881, leading to work as a satirical illustrator. In 1884-1885, he designed the series "One Hundred Views of Musashi" (Musashi hyakkei no uchi), after Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo". During the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), Kiyochika created many war prints, including over seventy triptychs and even some pentaptychs. These prints proved very popular.
• What style or movement did Kobayashi Kiyochika belong to?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) is associated with *ukiyo-e*, or "pictures of the floating world". He is known for his woodblock prints of Tokyo during the late 1870s, a time of significant change and modernisation in Japan. Kiyochika's work stands apart from that of many *ukiyo-e* artists, most of whom came from the Utagawa school. He was largely self-taught. His prints often depict Tokyo. His artistic approach was influenced by Western painting and photography. This led him to incorporate new techniques, such as innovative uses of light, shadow, and perspective, into his woodblock prints. He experimented with these elements in his series "Famous Places in Tokyo" (1876-1881), inspired by Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo". Kiyochika's prints captured the essence of Tokyo's changing cityscape during the Meiji era (1868-1912). He also worked as a political cartoonist for the magazine "Marumaru chinbun" for eleven years, starting in 1882.
• What techniques or materials did Kobayashi Kiyochika use?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) is known as a significant ukiyo-e artist of the Meiji period. His artistic journey involved various techniques and materials. Initially, Kiyochika studied photography in Yokohama, learning from a leading Japanese photographer. He also explored oil painting with an English instructor and later studied traditional Japanese painting. His artistic exploration led him to woodblock prints, where he developed his own distinctive style. Traditional ukiyo-e production involved a collaborative process. The artist created a drawing, known as a hanshita, on thin paper using brush and ink. After the publisher approved the drawing, a carver pasted it onto a cherry wood block, cutting away the wood to leave the artist's lines. The key block was then printed in black ink, and the artist indicated colour choices on separate sheets. The carver created a separate block for each colour, and the printer produced nishiki-e by applying one colour at a time. During the Meiji era, there was a shift towards prints resembling original paintings. Artists like Watanabe Seitei and Ogata Gekko promoted developments in printing to achieve a watercolour appearance, a technique called sashiage. In this method, the artist painted the image in full colour, and the carver interpreted the painting through fine carving for colour gradations. The printer then used the artist's painting as a model for colour application.
• When did Kobayashi Kiyochika live and work?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika was born on 10 September 1847 in Honjo, Edo (modern Tokyo). He is recognised as a significant figure in the development of *ukiyo-e* during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Kiyochika's work bridges the gap between traditional Japanese art and Western art influences, which were becoming more prominent in Japan at that time. He is particularly known for his *kōga* prints, which often depict scenes of a modernising Tokyo, incorporating elements of light and shadow influenced by Western painting techniques. Kiyochika's career began to gain momentum in the late 1870s, and he remained active until the early 20th century. He died on 28 November 1915, leaving behind a substantial body of work that provides valuable insights into the Meiji era. His prints document the changing urban environment and social life of Tokyo as it transitioned from a feudal society to a modern nation.
• Where was Kobayashi Kiyochika from?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika was born in 1847 in Tokyo, as the ninth and last child of Kobayashi Mohei, a samurai. His family lived on the east bank of the Sumida River. Kiyochika's father held a position as "chief of the foremen" and was responsible for overseeing unloading operations at the governmental rice granary. After his father's death in 1862, Kiyochika became the head of his family. In 1865, he travelled to Kyoto with the shogun. He relinquished his position at the granary in 1868 and followed the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, to Shizuoka. He worked for a fencing troupe before returning to Tokyo in 1874. Kiyochika's artistic career began in 1876 with the publication of his prints of Tokyo views in a Western style. These were published by Daikokuya Heikichi, one of the major publishers, until 1879. Fukuda Kumajiro then took over the series, issuing more prints until 1881.
• Who was Kobayashi Kiyochika?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915) was a Japanese artist of the Meiji period. Born the ninth child of a samurai family, his father was a foreman in charge of unloading rice at a government granary. Kiyochika became head of the family after his father's death in 1862. In 1865, he travelled to Kyoto with the shogun, relinquishing his granary position in 1868. After a period working for a fencing troupe, he returned to Tokyo in 1874. Kiyochika was largely self-taught. His initial prints, Western-style Tokyo scenes, were published in 1876 by Daikokuya Heikichi, a major publisher, who continued the series until 1879. Fukuda Kumajirō then took over the series until 1881. From 1881, Kiyochika created the comical "Kiyochika Punch" series, which led to work as a satirical illustrator. In 1882, he became a political cartoonist for "Marumaru chinbun" magazine for eleven years. He designed prints until 1886, and also returned to traditional themes with "One Hundred Views of Musashi" (1884-1885), modelled on Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo". After retiring from printmaking, Kiyochika returned in 1894, designing over seventy war triptychs during the Sino-Japanese War. He illustrated for the "Niroku shinpo" newspaper in 1900, but resigned three years later. He found some work during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. In his final years, Kiyochika produced paintings for patrons. He died on 28 November 1915, aged 69.
• Why are Kobayashi Kiyochika's works important today?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika, born in 1847, was a print designer and illustrator who gained recognition for his work during the Meiji period. He initially trained in photography and Western oil painting, then transitioned to Japanese painting and woodblock prints. Kiyochika's prints are significant for their depiction of Tokyo's changing urban environment during the late 19th century. His early works, beginning in 1876, captured the new architecture, technology, and atmosphere of a city undergoing rapid modernisation. He incorporated Western techniques of perspective, light, and shadow into his woodblock prints. He produced the series "One Hundred Views of Musashi" (from 1884), designed after Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo". Kiyochika also worked as a political cartoonist for the magazine "Marumaru chinbun" for eleven years, beginning in 1882. After a period away from printmaking, Kiyochika returned to prominence during the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, creating over seventy war triptychs. His work provides valuable insight into the social and political climate of Meiji Japan, documenting both its modernisation and its military conflicts. He died in 1915.
• When was Kobayashi Kiyochika born?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika was born in 1847 in Japan. Kobayashi Kiyochika died in 1915, aged 68.
• How did Kobayashi Kiyochika die?+

  Kobayashi Kiyochika died in 1915 at the age of 68.