Japanese Art and Culture (Eiichi Kotozuka)
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Eiichi Kotozuka was born in Osaka in 1906, during the twilight of the Meiji Period—an age when Japan was redefining its national identity while remaining deeply anchored in centuries of tradition. He later emerged as a notable figure within the Sōsaku Hanga movement, producing prints that enriched Japan’s artistic spirit through their quiet originality, refined sensitivity, and deeply personal vision.
Kotozuka benefitted immensely from the profound cultural inheritance of Kyoto and Nara—two cities where history, faith, and aesthetics flow together with remarkable harmony. Accordingly, this article focuses on the Buddhist temples he portrayed, prints that gently weave together the elegant courtly traditions and spiritual gravity of these ancient capitals through the contemplative language of printmaking.
The serene city of Nara stands as one of the great cradles of Japanese high culture. It was here in the eighth century that Buddhism was elevated to the role of “guardian of the state” under the guidance of Emperor Shōmu, shaping the ethical, spiritual, and artistic foundations of the nation. In the print above, Kotozuka captures the quiet dignity and natural grace of Nara, rendering its sacred landscape with a tender stillness that gently invites contemplation.
The first and third prints turn our gaze toward Buddhism in Kyoto. Within these scenes, one can almost sense the subtle rhythms of everyday life—monks moving through temple corridors, pilgrims pausing in quiet reverence, and the enduring calm of temple precincts. Through Kotozuka’s eyes, Kyoto’s cultural legacy unfolds softly, revealing a city where the past continues to breathe within the present.
As the great Buddhist thinker Nichiren wisely observed: “If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way.”
In many respects, Kotozuka’s prints perform this very act. They illuminate sacred spaces for the viewer while quietly guiding us toward deeper reflection—where art, memory, and faith converge in a shared moment of stillness.
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