Sesshū Tōyō
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| Sesshū Tōyō | |
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 Shukei-sansui (Autumn Landscape), by Sesshu Toyo
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| Born: | 1420 |
| Place of birth: | Bitchū, Japan |
| Died: | 1506 |
| School(s): | Rinzai |
| Title(s): | suibokuga master Zen Master |
| Teacher(s): | Shūbun |
| Website | |
Sesshū Tōyō (雪舟 等楊 lit.: snow boat) or often also simply Sesshū, 1420-1506, was one of the most prominent masters of suibokuga (ink painting), and a Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest. Although born into the samurai Oda family（小田家)in Bitchū, Okayama, he is famous for his mastery of Chinese-style ink painting.[1] He established an individual identity as a painter.
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[edit] Career
Sesshū was born in Bitchū, part of present-day western Okayama Prefecture. He studied Zen in his youth at Hōfuku-ji located in Sōja City, Okayama. There is a well-known episode about young Sesshū: he did not study Zen and Buddhism very much but always painted, and so he was punished, and tied to a pillar in the hall of the temple. After a while, a priest came to see him and jumped up with surprise. There was a mouse very close to Sesshū's foot-- but it was actually a picture which Sesshū had painted with his tears.
In 1431, when he was 11 years old, he moved to Shōkoku-ji in Kyoto. He continued to study Zen, and when he was 32 years old, he started to learn painting from Shūbun. Hōfuku-ji was in the Oda family's domination, this area is still named "Oda" in Okayama. Sesshu was not the first boy in Oda family. In this days, boys who was not the first one, used to be priests, so he entered the Hōfuku-ji at first. But when we consider of the class of his family, his father could send him to the first class temple in the capital city Kyoto. Then he could learn Zen and Buddhism under Shunrin（春林）, the first class Zen priest on that time. Sesshu must had a talent of art, but also trained as a Zen priest under Shunrin. In 1462, He adopted the pen name Sesshu Toyo. In 1464, he visited Yamaguchi Prefecture and stayed at Unkoku-an (雲谷庵). One of the most powerful family in Japan, Ōuchi family,the lord of Suō Province Yamaguchi Prefecture invited Sesshu and let Sesshu visit to Ming by his ship. That was 1467, the year of Ōnin War.
Sesshū studied in Ming (China) for two years and returned to Japan in 1469. But because of Ōnin War, he couldn't come back to his studio Unkoku-an (雲谷庵) soon and traveled to Ōita Prefecture in Kyūshū. It maybe an order from Lord of Ōuchi family
In 1478, Sesshu came to Masuda,Shimane by the invitation of Kanetaka Masuda, the lord of Iwami Province and entered the Sukanji(崇観寺）. He made two Zen gardens there and painted "the portrait of Masuda Kanetaka""The Birds and Flowers of Four Seasons".
In 1486, after traveing around in Japan, he came back to Yamaguchi and painted his masterpiece “Handscroll of Landscape of Four Seasons”(National Treasure) at his studieo in Yamaguchi, Unkoku-an. In 1506, he died in 87 years old.
[edit] Paintings
There are six paintings, which are widely confirmed to be works by Sesshū, designated as National Treasures in Japan. Besides these, there are numerous other works attributed to him, with some varied views among experts. Those most influenced by his approach to painting are said to be the "School of Sesshū" or the "Unkoku-rin School."[2]
Some of his works existing today reside in:
- The Freer Gallery, Washington, D.C.
- The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass.
- The National Museum of Tokyo[3]
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sesshu Toyo |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Appert, Georges. (1888). Ancien Japon, p. 80.
- ^ Appert, p. 3-4.
- ^ "Landscape with ink broken". Tokyo National Museum. http://www.emuseum.jp/cgi/pkihon.cgi?SyoID=2&ID=w056&SubID=s000. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
[edit] References
- Appert, Georges and H. Kinoshita. (1888). Ancien Japon. Tokyo: Imprimerie Kokubunsha.
- Papinot, Jacques Edmund Joseph. (1906) Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du japon. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha...Click link for digitized 1906 Nobiliaire du japon (2003)
- Kiyoshi Miyamoto, The former curator of Sesshu Memorial Museum (1997) Sesshu Memorial Museum Magazin#4-#6 ...Click link for the information of Sesshu Memorial Museum
[edit] Discography
- Carlo Forlivesi, Japanese Window - Sesshu's Landscape 1495 (2001) for electronics. The piece is included in the CD album SILENZIOSA LUNA (ALCD 76).
