平田郷陽, 二代

Born in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1903. Real name was Tsuneo. His father was Hirata Gōyō I (Tsunejirō), a renowned “iki’ningyō” (living doll) artist. Gōyō I studied under the famous living doll artists Yasumoto Kamehachi II and III. The living doll term refers to highly realistic, life-like dolls, most of which were made in full-scale human size. After graduating from Ordinary Elementary School, Gōyō II began learning verisimilitude techniques from his father, taking up his father’s technical prowess, way of thinking, and astute understanding of the human form, which he continued even after later stylistic changes. He assumed the name Gōyō II upon his father’s death in 1924. At that stage he had to support the nine members of his family and he began by making large numbers of seasonal festival-related dolls, such as Momotarō and Kintarō. He also created living doll versions of such popular actresses as Okada Yoshiko and Kurishima Sumiko and department stores commissioned him to make mannequins. The appearance of these various works can be confirmed today from the image albums he left and by feature articles in magazines. In 1927 a set of “yamato ningyō” (dolls depicting Japanese girls dressed in traditional “furisode” kimono) was proposed as a return present for the Friendship Dolls sent to Japan by America. The evaluation committee highly praised the dolls that Gōyō II prepared for approval and they were much discussed. This project, which proved a turning point for Gōyō II, allowed him to display the fusion of his understanding of the classics and his technical prowess gained through his living doll work. “Sakurako” (1927, Yoshitoku Collection, Tokyo) — presented to Yamada Tokubei, the tenth generation head of Yoshitoku dollmakers who was in charge of the Japanese part of this project — also reflects Gōyō II’s acclaim at the time. In 1928, Gōyō II, Okamoto Gyokusui, Kubo Sashirō, and others formed the Hakutakukai doll research group. This group also worked on display opportunities and Gōyō II entered “Yosooi” 粧ひ (Arranging her Toilette) (1931, Yokoyama Doll Museum) in the group’s fourth exhibition, and “Odori” (Dancing) (1932, Ningenkokuhō Museum, Yugawara, Kanagawa) in their fifth exhibition. “Yosooi”s skin is visible through her thin fabric kimono, while her lightly tinted eyelids and cheeks exude a subtle charm. On the other hand, “Odori” is a figure dressed in the costume for the “Musume Dōjōji” dance, and her sincere face exudes a sense of hidden thoughts. The living doll training that underscores his work and his skillful melding of subject and the handling of each doll’s external appearance invites the viewer to emotionally resonate with the doll. Dolls were the subject of fervent attention during the early Shōwa era, which meant that the Hakutakukai and other dollmaker organizations and study groups flourished. The Doll Art Movement consisted of specialist workers like Gōyō II and his fellow dollmakers, along with amateur hobbyists and those pursuing self-study, collectors, department stores, writers, and scholars. They not only revered the artistic value of dolls, they quickly sought the inclusion of such works in official exhibitions. In 1936, doll entries were accepted for the first exhibition held by the Reorganized Imperial Fine Arts Academy Exhibition (Teiten), with six works granted “nyūsen” (selected status) in the exhibition’s Fourth Division (Crafts). Gōyō II’s entry, “Taira-no-Koremori” (National Crafts Museum, Kanazawa), was one of those works. During this period he tailored specific costumes for individual dolls and dressed them. The costume for “Taira-no-Koremori” was based on that worn by the Fourth Rank courtier Taira no Koremori when he danced the “Seigaiha” in honor of the celebrations held for the fiftieth birthday of retired emperor Goshirakawa. Matsuoka Eikyū, a Nihonga (Japanese-style) painter known for his study of ancient court rituals and their arts, confirmed the period accuracy of this costume. While Gōyō II’s entry was praised as a powerful work, some criticized the thorough realism of the work as well as his use of materials not made by the exhibiting artist himself, such as the glass eyes and hair. Gōyō II wrote the following reaction to this criticism in an article titled “Ningyō no Tokuchō” (The characteristics of dolls) in the magazine “Ningyōjin” Vol. 2-February issue (1936): “[Instead of claiming that realism is not the artistic existence of the doll] we must seize upon what is in fact the life of the doll and turn that into art; that is our path.... My precise manner of working is not to make replicas but to express my passion and feeling as an artist, not just sketching from a model.” In October 1935, and prior to his participation in official exhibitions, Gōyō II and his associates dissolved the Hakutakukai and established the Nihon Ningyōsha. According to the new group’s statement of purpose, it was “for artists who are sincere in their attempts to present their work to the world” and as such, they organized public-submission exhibitions. Gōyō entered such works as “Crying Child” 泣く子 (1936, private collection) in the First Nihon Ningyōsha exhibition, “Autumn in Rakuhoku” (1937, National Crafts Museum, Kanazawa) in the Second, “Playing and Singing” 弾き語り (1938, Kimura Teizō Collection, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art) in the Third, and “Children at Play” 児戯興趣 (1938, Yokohama Doll Museum) in the Fourth. The Nihon Ningyōsha was disbanded in 1941 and the new Nihon Ningyō Bijutsuin founded that same year. In 1942, Gōyō II entered “Uba and Yamawaro” (Old Woman and Yamawaro Mountain Child) and “Ya no Ne” (Arrowhead) (both private collections) in that new group’s Second Exhibition, with both powerful works characterized by their period costumes and allegorical depiction. During this period Gōyō II actively participated in the Ministry of Education’s Art Exhibitions (Bunten) and those held by various groups, while also creating numerous works on child themes, many of which were part of his commissioned works. The March 1945 firebombing of Tokyo made Gōyō II and his family evacuate to his father’s hometown of Okayama. During the three years they spent in that area, Gōyō II participated in the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition (Nitten) which was first held in March 1946. His entry in the Second Nitten, “Kogarashi” 凩 (Wintry Wind) (1946, Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art), shows his advances in conveying information via garments, all rendered in an ukiyoe-like mood. While this work reveals his tendency to step away from the detailed realism sensed in his wartime Shin-Bunten exhibition works, on the other hand, the costuming and use of human hair on his “Uba and Kintarō” (1948, Second Gendai Bijutsu Sōgōten entry, Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art) along with its finishing, which is somewhere between realist and stylized, is a truly fascinating expression of his wavering, yet ongoing, search for his own expressive form. With the beginning of the 1950s Gōyō II’s artistic intentions became apparent. His “Tea” (1950, whereabouts unknown) was awarded “tokusen (special prize)” status at the Sixth Nitten exhibition and shows the progression of his simplification process which was greeted with great surprise: “this work is a complete stylistic change from his previous realistic style, and while it puzzles its viewers, its neat form is second to none.” (Ōshima Ryūichi, ‘Daiyonka Bijutsu Kōgei (Fourth Division Art Craft)’ “Dairokkai Nittenshū,” 1950). In 1953 his “Shūin” 秋韻 (Autumn Verse) (private collection) was awarded the Hokuto Prize in the Ninth Nitten. Its figure conceived as mass is enveloped by a costume made with the “kimekomi” technique in which seams are omitted and line inflection effectively expresses collar and hem overlaps. The color range is also a complete balance of weak and strong, from the plumply formed “gofun” white skin to the white base note garments, black hair, and yellowish red lips and “obi.” In 1953 the Japanese government designated the making of costume dolls as an intangible cultural property to be preserved and its practitioners duly assisted. In 1955 he was named Holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property: Ishō Ningyō (so-called Living National Treasure status). He served on the judging committee for the Tenth Nitten exhibition held in 1954, left that organization in 1957, and later primarily displayed his works in the Nihon Dentō Kōgeiten (Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition) and the Yōmonkai, a group exhibition held by the dollmaking academy begun in 1956 with Gōyō II as its principle member. His tendency towards simplification and deformation continued, as seen in his “In Leisure” (National Crafts Museum, entered in the Ningyō Bijutsuinten). Here “kimekomi” patterns connect the raised embroidery and the figure’s torso. Such arrangements of costume motif and color schemes incorporate a two-dimensional compositional sensibility, all while the artist clearly attempts to skillfully steer between the lines of human body logic and costume visual effects. However, his fundamental accuracy and enthusiastic observation of the human form become the work’s power, so that no matter how far he took his simplification process he was able to effortlessly convey all of the information he had gained from his close analysis. According to his disciple Serikawa Eiko, Gōyō II’s top layer of “gofun” shell white was of unparalleled thinness. His pride in his ability to visually discern the human figure and his superb wood carving skills can also be found in that detail. Gōyō II acted as the director of the Nihon Kōgeikai (Japan Kōgei Association) and a member of the Nihon Dentō Kōgeiten (Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition)’s judging committee, as he continued to work with the Yōmonkai on fostering future generations of dollmakers. In 1968 he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, and in 1974, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette. He died on March 23, 1981. (Imai Yōko / Translated by Martha J. McClintock) (Published online: 2024-04-01)