And now we return to our regular posting in Japan, with Kiyohara Yukinobu (active 1650-1682), who was a notable Japanese female painter of classical Chinese subjects in Kakemono or hanging scroll paintings in the Kano tradition, under the influence of her mother Kuniko's tutor Kano Tan'yu (1602-1674). Yukinobu work reflects the influence before the Kambun period of Kyoto, by the transition of sites such as Shimabara in Kyoto before the move of popular culture to Edo by the 1670s in figures like Moronobu. Yukinobu was highly successful as an artist in her day, however perhaps only due to her chaste subject matter in comparison to other work by the Enpo era (1673-1681). By Enpo however, she was acknowledged for her role in depicting Classical Beauties, as she is mentioned as an artisan in Ihara Saikaku's Life of an Amorous Woman (1686).
Yukinobu being a woman, whilst notable for womens studies, is not particularly out of the ordinary for Medieval Japan. Women, like in contemporary England often had more social mobility at this time, and played many different roles as their circumstances permitted than their social mobility in following centuries may lead some to believe. As an artist, Yukinobu helps us understand contemporary womens desires for the androgynous figure and relatable role models, such as her depictions of Murasaki Shikibu, princesses, poetesses and Chinese heroines and heroes. Women commissioned work from Yukinobu, and actively engaged in the beauty standards and morals of the day.[8][9]
Yukinobu is interesting to us, as whilst I define her as the catalyst for other forms of the legitimisation of Ukiyo-E which refer to more traditional forms such as Yukinobu or Matabei, as a way to carry more prestige and weight as respected art mediums, I do not define Yukinobu's work as a definitive image strictly within the Bijinga genre.
Capital Swapping
Between the second half of the 16th century and the second half of the 17th century, Japan had changed completely from the warring states period. With all this, many changes came about around Honshu, and Kyoto, previously where Art and Culture had flourished as it was the Old Capital where the Emperor resided. Under the Stabilisation policies implemented under the Tokugawa government, and with the enforcement of Sankin Kotai a brand new Japanese society with new expectations had formed as younger generations had more leisure time and greater stability than their elders.
The established order of the Classical stemmed from the geo-socio-politics of the old Capital. As Kyoto was the home of the imperial court and therefore in effect the main seat of national power from 794-1630, local Kyoto culture was regarded as mainstream popular culture.[6][7] Sort of how Bede wrote the History Book, but the Anglo-Saxons get all the Adspace nowadays. This meant that classical, conservative and traditional appraoches to how beauty, vanity and inevitable human behaviour were codified to meet social and class structures of their day saw to it that the human figure in early 17th century western Kano depictions, whether on fans, screens or lacquer, were rare.
For sanity's sake I have divided this into two branches for a baseline understanding, of pious imagery and consumer based demand which was based around Kyoto and which I address here. The second being affiliated popular culture imagery which reflected the lifestyle of the new Chonin patrons who bought these books and print media in the 1650s/1660s, which will be the basis for Bijin #9.
In time, the depiction of Heimin came in with the Tosa School and their Yamato-E Fuzokuga, but only by the time the Tokugawa legitimacy had become settled. Instead, Kyoto scenes depicting harmonious scenes of nature, Chinese philosophers and a whole lot of gold were more the Kano aesthetic in this pre-Sankin Kotai world. Pop culture as print media, simply did not have the demand required to profligate the idea of an established common beauty until the 1650s, as all demand was in the hands of the elite who required and expected different outcomes in their commissioned art pieces.
The 'Religious' or Classical Beauty
The religious figure had existed therefore for a longer time than pop culture iconography depicting human figures. This figure accompanied Buddhist texts as a pastime for the monks and writers who created Buddhist scriptures and texts and to allow the reader deeper connection with the subject material by placing human figures in the narrative. Over time, it became acceptable to have human figure Kakemono displayed in wealthy peoples homes as a sign of their devout faith by the early 17th century. The Kano school was known for depicting figures the confines of Religious, Confucious and Fuzokuga based on the Classical Chinese texts.
These Kakemono for examples extolls the virtues of Lan Caihe, one of the 8 immortal Chinese in the Taoist Pantheon who travelled around China as a wandering troubadour. The flowers (and willow on the left), emblematic of Lan's patronage of gardeners, give away clues of androgynous immortal beauties from the Lingzhi mushroom and what I am presuming is Chrysanthemum, with the implicit moral message being one of denouncing worldly or consumerist pleasures, warning that life is short, the pitfalls of immortality and urging listeners to seek the Way of Tao.[1] The Blue Magpie symbolising Happiness, [2] Plum for purity,[3] Sparrows for cautious vigilance or conviction, joy and the coming of spring[4].
Lan Caihe however is non-binary as we would call them today, and the painting can thus be read a little differently to the intention of how its female artist wished the painting to be read. In doing this, Yukinobu symbolically shows us the conviction of Lan Ciahe, but also subtly denotes their beauty by presenting their body in the popular androygnous style and Tang dynasty popular as a subject at the time of painting. This may have a commission therefore, for a Chonin, appropriate for the Ukiyo lifestyle, but also as a presentable excuse to have androgynous beauty displayed as with depictions of Aphrodite Urania in Victorian England for example whilst still being acceptably viable as a virtuous rather than vain image, such as depictions of naked ladies on grand tours were excused away by victorian 'gentlemen' because these were 'pure' bodies who are 'innocent of carnal knowledge' who are now Classical Art. So shush.[5]
Back to Yukinobu, to give context to all of that, Yukinobu as an artist was a highly respected Lady Komin (artisan caste under Confucian value systems). She often worked both for the Kano in earlier years, who saw their works end up in the homes of courtiers and nobles, but she also accepted later on presumably as commission work from nobles became scarcer as their wealth dried up, the commission from wealthy Chonin.[8] Therefore we can deride two main things about beauty standards in the Meireiki, and Manji periods (1655-1661) that Chonin had begun seeking new forms of acceptable art, depicting reputable traditional Buddhist moral values and subjects.
The other takeaway we have here, is that the beauty standard due to the shift in who had the wealth here, meant that as more Chonin put up Kakemono, more Kakemono began depicting saucier subjects and figures. Whilst Yukinobu clearly sticks to her guns, the fact that subjects like Lan Caihe and contemporary Japanese figures are being depicted shows that her Chonin patrons had begun to ask that their commissions reflect their worldy lifestyles and tastes, rather than simply having Kannon strung up in the Tokonoma.
The Classically Inspired or Manji Beauty
Therefore in context, we see that whilst Yukinobu herself does not set out to depict Bijin, she becomes a precursor to Bijinga. In her acceptance of wealthy Chonin commissions, we can draw a link between the high art world and the lower classes, who in a bid to social climb and have their patronage reflect their newfound wealth, have begun to create their own early relatable or desired figure art. Yukinobu enables this by bringing credibility to this venture in lending her name to the creation of pieces with these figures following traditional values found prior in the Kano school. Yukinobu, skilled in the depiction of Yamato-E and various formats of screens, fan painting and scrolls, depicts women as relatable figures, figures who eventually under the male gaze of Ukiyo-e, begin to form early depictions of traditionally acceptable, yet contemporary Beauties, effectively shifting beauty standards through respectability politics, and sumptous designs for women clientele.[10]
Bibliography.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lan_Caihe
[2] https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-08-05/Would-magpies-help-reunite-China-s-mythological-lovers--IUw0yXfUL6/index.html
[3] https://asianbotanical.ku.edu/plum-0
[4] https://propertyinsight.com.my/why-does-vmgzcs/sparrow-symbolism-japan-24ab02
[5] https://www.christies.com/features/5-Victorian-beauties-and-what-they-tell-us-about-the-time-in-which-they-were-painted-6799-1.aspx
[6] https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-about/shisetsu/kyoto.html#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Kyoto%20was,moved%20to%20Tokyo%20in%201869.
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohara_Yukinobu
[9] https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E5%8E%9F%E9%9B%AA%E4%BF%A1
[10] https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyohara_Yukinobu
Bijin Series Timeline
8th century
- Introduction of Chinese Tang Dynasty clothing (710)
- Sumizuri-e (710)
- Classical Chinese Art ; Zhou Fang (active 766-805) ; Qiyun Bijin
15th century
- Fuzokuga Painting schools; Kano (1450-1868) and Tosa (1330-1690)
16 century
- Nanbanjin Art (1550-1630)
- Byobu Screens (1580-1670)
- End of Sengoku Jidai brings Stabilisation policy (1590-1615)
17th century
- Early Kabuki Culture (1603-1673) ; Yakusha-e or Actor Prints
- Sumptuary legislation in reaction to the wealth of the merchant classes (1604-1685)
- Regulation of export and imports of foreign trade in silk and cotton (1615-1685)
Iwasa Matabei (active 1617-1650) ; Yamato-e Bijin
- Sankin-Kotai (1635-1642) creates mass Urbanisation
- Popular culture and print media production moves from Kyoto to Edo (1635-1650); Kiyohara Yukinobu (1650-1682) ; Manji Classical Beauty
- Shikomi-e (1650-1670) and Kakemono-e which promote Androgynous Beauties; Iwasa Katsushige (active 1650-1673) [Coming Soon]
- Mass Urbanisation instigates the rise of Chonin Cottage Industry Printing (from 1660) ; rise of the Kabunakama Guilds and decline of the Samurai
- Kanazoshi Books (1660-1700); Koshokubon Genre (1659?-1661)
- Shunga (1660-1722); Abuna-e
Kanbun Master/School (active during 1661-1673) ; Maiko Bijin
- Hinagata Bon (1666 - 1850)
Yoshida Hanbei (active 1664-1689) ; Toned-Down Bijin
- Asobi/Suijin Dress Manuals (1660-1700)
- Ukiyo-e Art (1670-1900)
Hishikawa Moronobu (active 1672-1694) ; Wakashu Bijin
- The transit point from Kosode to modern Kimono (1680); Furisode, Wider Obi
- The Genroku Osaka Bijin (1680 - 1700) ; Yuezen Hiinakata
Sugimura Jihei (active 1681-1703) ; Technicolour Bijin
Miyazaki Yuzen (active 1688-1736) [Coming Soon]
Torii Kiyonobu (active 1698 - 1729) [Coming Soon]
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