Mizuno Toshikata – 水野年方 (1866-1908) – At the Beach – 浜で

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Born in Tokyo, Toshikata was sent at the age of 13 to study under the great Yoshitoshi, who gave him the character “toshi” from his own name. He also studied ceramic painting with Yamada Ryūtō, and nanga painting with Shibata Hōshū and the legendary Watanabe Seitei. He received awards in 1898/89/1900 & 1902 at the Nihon Bijutsuin/Nihon Kaiga Kyokai exhibition and was active in the top art associations of the day. He also had many successful students, including Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972), and Ikeda Terukata (1883-1921). This piece is from the series “Modern Beauties” and is dated some time between 1897-1898. It shows Toshikata’s strong empathy for the characters of everyday life and imbues the beauties with a graceful modesty. As a teacher, he was very strict and extremely hard working, which unfortunately, contributed to his early death, similar to that of his contemporary, Kono Bairei. The last picture shows the weary artsit sitting for his portrait photo. Signed “Oju Toshikata e”. Sealed Shō and Setsu – 蕉雪. Excellent condition for its age.

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