Kanbun Master
Encyclopedia
The Kanbun Master was a Japanese woodblock print
artist and mentor to Hishikawa Moronobu
, who is generally considered to have founded the genre known as ukiyo-e
. As no signed works by the Kanbun Master are known to survive (or to have ever been made), he remains anonymous and known only by the pseudonym assigned him by scholar Richard Lane
on account of his having flourished during the Kanbun
era (1661–1673) on the Japanese Imperial calendar.
The precise relationship between the Master and Moronobu is unclear, and there are a number of works attributed to each which may have actually been created by the other, or yet another artist. As so little is known about the Master, is it not even clear whether or not he had any direct relationship with Moronobu at all, or if the latter was simply influenced by the Master's work. In fact, scholars are not even sure whether the works attributed to the Kanbun Master were even by a single hand, or if they were created by a greater number of anonymous artists.
Roughly fifty illustrated books are attributed to the Kanbun Master, including a number of shunga
works, novels, guidebooks, poetry anthologies, jōruri
plays, and courtesan critiques (yūjo hyōbanki). The Master also produced a number of paintings, and some of the first single-sheet (i.e. not bound into an illustrated book) woodblock printed images. The majority of these works were in the shunga (erotic pictures) mode, and all except the paintings were done in monochrome black ink, with a minimum of color added by hand.
His style is described as "powerful, almost primitive, yet features a dramatic intensity of depiction that was to influence and sustain ukiyo-e for many decades to come." His chief influence was the genre painting
popular at the time, consisting primarily of scenes of daily activities in Japan's major cities, particularly Kyoto
and Edo
.
Woodblock printing in Japan
Woodblock printing in Japan is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre; however, it was also used very widely for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was only...
artist and mentor to Hishikawa Moronobu
Hishikawa Moronobu
was a Japanese painter and printmaker known for his advancement of the ukiyo-e woodcut style starting in the 1670s.-Early life and training:Moronobu was the son of a well-respected dyer and a gold and silver-thread embroiderer in the village of Hodamura, Awa Province, near Edo Bay. After moving to...
, who is generally considered to have founded the genre known as ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
. As no signed works by the Kanbun Master are known to survive (or to have ever been made), he remains anonymous and known only by the pseudonym assigned him by scholar Richard Lane
Richard Douglas Lane
Richard Lane was an American scholar, author, collector, and dealer of Japanese art. He lived in Japan for much of his life, and had a long association with the Honolulu Academy of Arts in Hawaii, which now holds his vast art collection.-Life:...
on account of his having flourished during the Kanbun
Kanbun (era)
, also romanized as Kambun, was a after Manji and before Enpō. This period spanned the years from April 1661 to September 1673. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
era (1661–1673) on the Japanese Imperial calendar.
The precise relationship between the Master and Moronobu is unclear, and there are a number of works attributed to each which may have actually been created by the other, or yet another artist. As so little is known about the Master, is it not even clear whether or not he had any direct relationship with Moronobu at all, or if the latter was simply influenced by the Master's work. In fact, scholars are not even sure whether the works attributed to the Kanbun Master were even by a single hand, or if they were created by a greater number of anonymous artists.
Roughly fifty illustrated books are attributed to the Kanbun Master, including a number of shunga
Shunga
' is a Japanese term for erotic art. Most shunga are a type of ukiyo-e, usually executed in woodblock print format. While rare, there are extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate the Ukiyo-e movement...
works, novels, guidebooks, poetry anthologies, jōruri
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
plays, and courtesan critiques (yūjo hyōbanki). The Master also produced a number of paintings, and some of the first single-sheet (i.e. not bound into an illustrated book) woodblock printed images. The majority of these works were in the shunga (erotic pictures) mode, and all except the paintings were done in monochrome black ink, with a minimum of color added by hand.
His style is described as "powerful, almost primitive, yet features a dramatic intensity of depiction that was to influence and sustain ukiyo-e for many decades to come." His chief influence was the genre painting
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
popular at the time, consisting primarily of scenes of daily activities in Japan's major cities, particularly Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
and Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
.