Art of Japan: Beauty inspired by nature Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Hayami Gyoshū (1894-1935) was born in Tokyo and art would become a way of life from a very young age. Like other artists born in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) a new Japan was dawning. Hence, the old traditional art forms were now…
Japan Art: Cut down before his artistic prime of life Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Suzuki Reitan (1792-1817) died before his art could bloom like a beautiful flower. Equally, belonging to the world of rinpa (rimpa) art, his focus was on learning past art and techniques while being schooled. Reitan died…
Rinpa art and freestyle: Nineteenth-century Japanese artist Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The life of Ikeda Koson (1803-1868) is difficult to put together because many areas remain unknown. Yet, he was blessed to study under the renowned Sakai Hôitsu (1761-1828). Hôitsu firmly belonged to a very different Japan that was steeped by the traditions…
Art of Japan: Beauty in simplicity! Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The delightful school of rinpa (rimpa) art covers a notable art form that hails from Japan. Rinpa spans many centuries and in modern times this art form continues to represent Japanese high culture. Therefore, international and internal exhibitions continue to inspire. Nichiren Buddhism…
Art of Japan: Buddhist Monk and Winter Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi fuses a stunning landscape with a wandering Buddhist monk in the bleak midwinter of Japan. Indeed, the religious angle, be it Buddhism, Christianity, or Shintoism, is a theme that pops up often in her art. However, her faith is embedded…
Japan art and the Reflection of Time: Hōitsu and the Persimmon Tree by Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In another stunning art piece by the contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi, she focuses on a classic by Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1829). However, in her reflection, the dynamics change in relation to the color scheme, meaning,…
Japanese art and Hishida Shunsō (1874-1911): Hope to the shadow of death Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Hishida Shunsō was born during the dynamic period of Meiji (1868-1912). However, despite the Meiji era not lasting so long, Shunsō died before the ending of this period of Japanese history. Hence, he died at…
Japanese art and the Bleak Midwinter of the Buddhist Tree of Life Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi fuses a stunning landscape with a wandering Buddhist monk in the bleak midwinter of Japan. Indeed, the religious angle, be it Buddhism, Christianity, or Shintoism, is a theme that pops up often in her art.…
Mount Fuji and contemporary Japanese art: The old world of Rinpa Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese contemporary artist, Sawako Utsumi, once more produces an adorable art piece based on rinpa (rimpa). In the past, Utsumi heavily focused on Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828) about rinpa. However, in her latest rinpa art piece, the emphasis…
A contemporary artist from Japan and her love of Dutch landscape art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Dutch art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is revered by Sawako Utsumi, who is a contemporary Japanese artist. Historically, the links developed between Japan and Holland (the Netherlands) are also extremely fascinating, especially during the Edo…
The Japanese art of Buddhist and Shinto holy men and the confusion of life Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Unlike the Islamist sword that cut down the tree of Buddhism and Hinduism in Afghanistan and other parts of Asia, the faiths and philosophies of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism have impacted greatly on Japan.…
The brief fleeting flower of the Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Shigeru Aoki (1882-1911) blossomed quickly but family problems and then tuberculosis would soon take him from this world. Hence, the promising artistic flower of Aoki parted before even reaching 29. This sad reality means that nobody…
Japanese Art and Poetry: Typhoons and earthquakes take asunder to this cold earth Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In a flash, all love that was embraced was over The beauty of the child, the lady, the male, the grandparents, all gone No time to say goodbye or to protect The chanting Buddha, the…
Art of Japan and the Buddhist holy preacher Nichiren: Mystical landscapes Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In these art pieces by the contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi, the theme flows from old Japan to the rich wisdom of the holy Buddhist cleric called Nichiren (1222-1282). In a sense, Utsumi is alluding to the rapidly…
Art of Japan and the entangled state Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The flow of human life comes and goes at the drop of a hat but observance and familiarity can make yesteryear seem like now. In the art piece titled “The Blossoming of Life” by Sawako Utsumi, you can also feel the changed…
Japanese Contemporary Artist and Hakone Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi recently produced another adorable art piece that focused on the natural landscape of Hakone. True to the nature of Utsumi, she bypassed the possibility of focusing on Mount Fuji that can be seen in parts of Hakone and…
Art of Japan and Hōitsu through the eyes of modernity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In the latest art piece by Sawako Utsumi, this contemporary artist focuses on the rinpa (rimpa) finesse of Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828). Hōitsu, himself, adored Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716) and in time he revitalized the memory of Kōrin. This, in turn,…
Changing dynamics of Japanese art during the Meiji era Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Sadahide (Gountei Sadahide) witnessed the first years of modernization in Japan that emerged after the 1868 Meiji Restoration. Yet, prior to this dramatic period in Japanese history, the artist Sadahide depicted aspects of Western encroachment. Indeed, while many spectrums…
The last throes before the ghost of time for Judy Doggett Walker Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times A lifetime of friendship becomes distant. Moments of confusion grow from minutes to days. Loved ones often erased. The river once flowed and reached my heart. Now the flow is lost. Art hangs on many walls, like…
Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire through Japanese eyes: Buddhism, Christianity, and Shintoism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, who hails from Northern Japan, once more creates a lovely art piece. Spiritually, her background is based on Shintoism and tinged with Buddhism based on the cultural legacy. Yet, in general, the…
Esaias Van De Velde and Japan art: Dutch villages and Christian holy places via Japanese eyes The contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi adores the richness of Dutch Art from the distant past of the fifteenth to seventeenth century. In this article, the focus is firmly on Esaias van de Velde who passed away in 1630.…
Japanese contemporary artist and L.S. Lowry: A new light and different cultural perspectives Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi hails from northern Japan and she is a contemporary Japanese artist, who equally adores art from the distant past. True to the nature of Utsumi, her art focuses on the rich traditions of old…
Esaias van de Velde by modern Japanese artist: Legacy of Dutch Art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another stunning art piece by the Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, is illuminated by the unique angle and a delightful color scheme to the original done by Esaias van de Velde. In the past, the same artist who…
Art of Japan and Yumeji Takehisa: Shadows of sorrow Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In many nations powerful elites often control and abuse the political system based on special interests and secrecy. Given this reality, many individuals feel like “fodder” because so many dreams fail to materialize for the majority of people. Likewise, the…
Art of Japan and ideas of simplicity: Pythagoras and Plotinus Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Still life art became a specific specialization within Western art by the final decades of the sixteenth century. Of course, this artistic theme can be traced back to Ancient Graeco-Roman art and within various elements of other cultures. However,…
Kanae Yamamoto and Japan art: Economic perils of his early life (Part One) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Kanae Yamamoto (1882-1946) witnessed many momentous historical events throughout his lifetime. Yet, despite the waves of changeable times – irrespective if modernization or militarization, this famous artist remained passionate about art and depicted many…
Takeshiro Kanokogi and art of Japan: The influence of France Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Takeshiro Kanokogi was born in 1874 during the infancy of the Meiji Restoration that began in 1868. Yet, by the time of his death in 1941, much had changed about Japan. Therefore, one can only imagine…
Hell or heaven can’t defeat the futility of life The beauty of life fades by the woe of age and time All that once was near, now but a blurred memory Even the joy of the early dew is now dead God and gods are meant to provide light Yet, the death of nature…
Japan art and one-sided love: Frailty of life despite his boundless love of Paris Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Yuzo Saeki is one of the most intriguing artists to have left the shores of the land of the rising sun. Sadly, his time on this earth was extremely limited because he perished when he…
Contemporary Japanese artist and L. S. Lowry in Full Bloom by Sawako Utsumi Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, adores a plethora of different art styles fused from her native Japan and a mixture of European artists. This notably applies to the Dutch Masters of the sixteenth and seventeenth…
Artist from Japan inspired by L.S. Lowry: Northern England in a Japanese context Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, is deeply moved by the art of L.S. Lowry (original below). Indeed, several art pieces done by Utsumi relate to playing on certain Japanese themes while focusing on the original.…
Art of Japan and the last Ukiyo-e knell of the Meiji Era: Western artists inspired Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ukiyo-e art is especially linked with the Edo Period (1603-1868) but while this art form was being forced into the shadows based on the modernizing ramifications of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the fact remains…
