富岡鉄斎

Tomioka Tessai was born on January 25, 1837 (19th day of the 12th month of Tenpō 7) in Sanjōdōri Shinmachi higashiiru nishiyori minamigawa, Kyoto, the second son of Tomioka Korenobu and Kinu. His father was the eighth-generation owner of Jūichiya Denbei, a merchant of Buddhist ceremonial robes. His ancestor, Tomioka Mochinao 富岡以直 (Jūichiya Denbei III), was regarded as an equal to Tejima Toan as a disciple of Ishida Baigan, who taught a code of merchant ethics known as Sekimon Shingaku. The Tomioka family had been adherents of Sekimon Shingaku since that time. Tessai was known by many names. His common name was first Yūsuke 猷輔, and he later called himself Dōkō 道昻 and Dōsetsu 道節, while going by the name of Tessai until 1872 (Meiji 5). Other names he adopted included Tetsushirō 鉄四郎 and Tetsuhi 鉄史. From around the early Meiji era (1868-1912), he used Hyakuren as his registered name, Muken 無倦 as his formal name, and Tessai 鉄斎 as his “gō” (art name). In his forties, he frequently used the “gō” Tetsugai 鉄崖. Tessai had many alternate “gō” incorporating the character 鉄, meaning “iron,” the first being Tetsudōjin 鉄道人, although personally, he preferred to use the characters 鐵 or 銕 for “iron” rather than 鉄. He avoided 鉄 except in letters, likely because when its left and right elements are read separately, it can be read as the inauspicious “lose money.” Coming from a scholarly family, Tessai loved reading from an early age. He studied Kokugaku (lit. “national study,” a school of Japanese philology and philosophy) under Nonoguchi Takamasa, and Chinese studies under Iwagaki Gesshū. Around 1856 (Ansei 3), he became devoted to the Neo-Confucianist philosophical school Yangmingism and studied under Kasuga Sen’an. Through these studies, he is thought to have associated with politically involved figures such as Umeda Unpin, Yanagawa Seigan, Rai Mikisaburō, and Saigō Nanshū. In 1859 (Ansei 6), he studied poetry and prose under Rakei Jihon, a Buddhist monk of the Tendai sect. The Tomioka family’s Sekimon Shingaku was a syncretic discipline, rooted in Confucianism while incorporating elements of Shinto, Buddhism, and Taoism, and because Yangmingism similarly integrated Buddhist and Taoist concepts into Confucianism, it was natural for Tessai to pursue diverse studies and feel a particular affinity for Yangmingism. Around 1854 (Ansei 1), Tessai is believed to have learned the basics of painting from Kubota Setsuyō and Ōsumi Nankō, and is also said to have met master painters such as Oda Kaisen and Ukita Ikkei. His connection with the poet and Buddhist nun Ōtagaki Rengetsu likely began around this period. Around 1855 (Ansei 2), when Rengetsu moved from Shōgoin-mura to Ungozan Shinshōji in Kitashirakawa, Kyoto, Tessai accompanied her, living with her and assisting with pottery making. Tessai subsequently traveled to Nagasaki, evidently around 1861 (Bunkyū 1), to advance his painting skills and absorb new knowledge from abroad. During his stay of several months, he was supported by Kozone Kendō, a wealthy merchant and well-known seal engraver. In Nagasaki, Tessai was inspired by discussions on opening Japan’s borders, and encountered the literati painters Tetsuō Somon and Kinoshita Itsuun. Around 1862 (Bunkyū 2), Tessai opened a private school at Rengetsu’s former residence in Shōgoin-mura. However, earning a livelihood as a scholar was challenging, and he supplemented his income by painting. It was during this time that he developed what would become his lifelong routine of painting during the day and reading at night. His close friend Yamanaka Seiitsu (Shinten’ō) is said to have encouraged him to pursue painting as a profession. Rengetsu remained a patron, often commissioning Tessai to add paintings to her calligraphic poems when she received requests for her work, for which she paid him. These collaborations resulted in many surviving works that combine Rengetsu’s calligraphy and Tessai’s paintings. However, Tessai’s reputation as an eminent scholar was already established, as shown by his listing in the Confucianism and poetry sections of “Heian jinbutsushi” published in 1867 (Keiō 3). His already excellent skill as a painter is evident from works such as “Sansuizu” (Landscape), a pair of six-panel folding screens completed in 1867 (Keiō 3) (collection of Chikuhōshorō Sasaki Sōshirō, Kyoto). Tessai accompanied the Emperor on a journey to the east in 1869 (Meiji 2) and a tour of Kyushu in 1872 (Meiji 5). That same year, he married Haru (Haruko), a poet from Ehime Prefecture who worked as a maid in the Gojō (Sugawara) household. In 1873 (Meiji 6), Tessai was appointed assistant priest of Minatogawa Shrine. The following year, after meeting Matsuura Takeshirō in Tokyo, he traveled to Ezo (Hokkaido), and in 1875 (Meiji 8), inspired by Ike no Taiga, he climbed Mount Fuji. Throughout the remainder of his life, Tessai traveled extensively across Japan, devotedly observing landscapes and local customs and honoring sites connected to historical figures. In 1876 (Meiji 9), Tessai became junior priest of Isonokami Shrine, and he later served as chief priest of Ōtori Shrine. During this time, he actively researched imperial tombs, and used his paintings and calligraphy to raise funds for restoration of deteriorated shrines in various locations. His wife Haru contributed to the household income by weaving. However, Tessai grew dissatisfied with the government’s policies regarding Shinto and resigned from the priesthood, returning to Kyoto in 1881 (Meiji 14). Later, at the request of Sagamura village residents, he served as a priest at Kurumazaki Shrine from 1888 (Meiji 21) to 1893, in order to assist in the dilapidated shrine’s restoration. Apart from this, he subsequently lived as an independent Confucian scholar and literati painter. Tessai was highly esteemed in Kyoto art circles for his scholarship and insight. He served as an officer or judge for organizations and exhibitions such as the Kyoto Bijutsu Kyōkai (Kyoto Art Association), Nihon Nanga Kyōkai (Japan Nanga Association), and Shinko Bijutsuhin Tenrankai (Exhibition of Old and New Artworks). In 1893 (Meiji 26), he was appointed an administrator at the Kyoto City School of Art and, from 1894 (Meiji 27) to 1904 (Meiji 37), he taught ethics there as a specially appointed professor. Describing his classes, Tessai remarked, “I teach students about historical figures, armor and formal dress, and various scholarly fields, but as the students’ academic ability has not progressed very far, they struggle to understand what I’m saying,” and he criticized the students’ “lack of learning and skill” (Kuroda Tengai, “Meika Rekihōroku [Record of Visits to Notable Figures],” Vol. 1, 1901, Yamada Unsōdō, p. 194). These comments clearly show his scholarly rigor with regard to teaching. Indeed, Tessai famously stated, “As you know, I am originally a Confucian scholar, and my painting is a deviation” (Tomioka Tessai, “Sansui Gadan (Meiga Tenchi Sekiheki no Zu),” in Odakane Tarō, “Tomioka Tessai no Kenkyū [Research on Tomioka Tessai],” 1944, Geibun Shoin, p. 418), and declared, “If you are going to look at my paintings, I would ask you to read the inscriptions first” (Masamune Tokusaburō, “Tomioka Tessai,” 1942, Kinjō Shuppansha, p. 14). However, Tessai unmistakably took pride in his profession as a painter, and among his favorite seals was a red oval one reading “Rōgashi” (Aged Painting Master) carved in intaglio relief by Kuwana Tetsujō. This seal was a reproduction of one used by Tanomura Chikuden, and evidently reflected Tessai’s ideal of a literati painter who becomes a master by “reading ten thousand books, traveling ten thousand miles” (op. cit., “Research on Tomioka Tessai,” p. 419). However, while his paintings and calligraphy were produced in dialogue and affinity with past masters via books and classical paintings rooted in traditional ideals, he moved into a unique artistic realm as his style matured in his fifties, and developed further from his sixties through his eighties. This is evident in his many large-scale pairs of six-panel folding screens, including “Mt. Fuji” (Tessai Museum, Kiyoshi-Kōjin Seichōji Temple, Hyogo) from 1898 (Meiji 31), when he was aged 63; “Confrontation between Fishermen and Wood Cutters from a Chinese Poem” (Kyoto City Museum of Art), age 65; “Utopian Landscape” (Kyoto National Museum), age 69; “Distant View of Mt. Fuji; Autumn View of Kankakei” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto), age 70; “Landscapes of Mt. Myogi; Dorohatcho Valley” (Fuse Art Museum, Shiga), age 71; “Landscape in Blue and Green” (Tessai Museum, Kiyoshi-Kōjin Seichōji Temple), age 77; and “Abe no Nakamaro in China Viewing the Moon; Priest Entsu at Wumen Temple in China” (Important Cultural Property, Tatsuuma Collection of Fine Arts, Hyogo) from 1914 (Taishō 3), age 79. From the Taishō era (1912-1926) onward, young painters came to recognize new value in Tessai’s work. Emerging Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) painters such as Imamura Shikō and Yasuda Yukihiko in Tokyo, and Tsuchida Bakusen and Ono Chikkyō in Kyoto, noted similarities between Tessai’s paintings and Western Impressionism. Western-style painters, including Umehara Ryūzaburō, also respected him, and Masamune Tokusaburō had particular admiration, stating, “Few Japanese paintings show such Impressionist-style palettes and rhythms as the old man’s [Tessai’s] work” (op. cit. “Tomioka Tessai,” p. 119). Masamune visited Tessai at home many times during his lifetime, and published the academic study “Tomioka Tessai” after his death. This interest and admiration spread throughout the art world. In 1917 (Taishō 6), Tessai was appointed as an Imperial Artist. He once said, “From my youth I was dedicated to the study of Confucianism, but after the [Meiji] Restoration, I devoted myself to painting. However, I had no intention of gaining fame, so I never exhibited once at public venues. This was to avoid being seen as a mere craftsman.” However, he was grateful for the “imperial honor” (Tomioka Tessai, “Muyō no yō [Useless Usefulness],” op cit., “Research on Tomioka Tessai,” p. 178). Following this appointment, he began using a square vermilion seal reading “Imperial Artist” carved by Kuwana Tetsujō. In 1919 (Taishō 8), Tessai was appointed as a member of the newly established Teikoku Bijutsuin (Imperial Fine Arts Academy). Its oldest member, he received this highest honor for an artist alongside Matsumoto Fūko, Imao Keinen, Takamura Kōun, Kobori Tomoto, Takeuchi Seihō, Kuroda Seiki, Nakamura Fusetsu, Shinkai Taketarō, Okada Saburōsuke, Yamamoto Shunkyo, Kawai Gyokudō, and Wada Eisaku. Tessai died in 1924 (Taishō 13), aged 87 by the Western age system, though his age at death is usually cited as 89 years old (in the traditional Japanese “kazoe-doshi” age system). (Kajioka Shuichi / Translated by Christopher Stephens) (Published online: 2025-02-12)