Hishikawa Moronobu
Japanese, 1631 - 1694
CountryJapan
BiographyHishikawa Moronobu was the first known "ukiyo-e" print artist of great stature to sign his work. The documents concerning his birth are scant. According to several early sources, including the "Ukiyo-e Ruikö," Moronobu was born in Hodamura, Haguri, in Awa Province (the present-day Chiba Prefecture) on the far side of Edo Bay. His date of birth is unknown.The genealogy of the Hishikawa family, however, is recorded for the two generations that preceded him. His grandfather was Hishikawa Shichiemon, a Kyoto-ite who apparently was trained as a dyer of fabrics. Shichiemon's son, Hishikawa Kichizaemon Michishige, moved from Kyoto to Hodamura in Awa, but no date is given for the move. He, too, was a skilled craftsman and designer in the art of dyeing and also excelled in gold and silver thread embroidery. Apparently young Moronobu received training in the same craft and this was to have a decided influence on his art. A unique example of this influence can be observed clearly in his illustrated book, "Kosode Gohinagata" (Patterns for Wadded Silk Garments), dated 1677, which shows "kimono" patterns (kosode), as well as stylish figures of women wearing the same fabric in "full kimono". Moreover, the late works by Moronobu often reveal the influence of this early training in the strong decorative patterning of their designs.
It is thought that Moronobu may have come to Edo during the Manji era (1658-1660). Unfortunately, the great fire of 1657 destroyed most of the city and with it any documentation that might have substantiated an earlier arrival in Edo for Moronobu. Although he was trained in the family crafts, it was in the art of the woodblock, particularly as it was used to illustrate books, that he was to make his mark.
The earliest signed and dated work of Moronobu that is known to survive is "Buke Hyakunin Isshu" (One Hundred Warrior Poets), dated 1672 (Cat. No. 1). The many earlier attributions to him of books dated in the 1660s have since been reassigned to other artists, including the Kambun Masters, a name devised by Dr. Richard Lane to identify the hands of several unknown masters of the 1660s. Moronobu's earliest illustrations for the "Buke Hyakunin Isshu" reveal a semi-archaic flavor, full of power yet somehow austere and lacking in grace. His pictures are not portraits but types.
Moronobu excelled in the art of book illustration. In the master's 1678 "shunga" book, "Wago Dojin" (Love Making à la mode), his style presents a compendium of romantic/erotic customs of the day, dynamically composed and drawn with a powerful line. The lovely grace of his culminating works in the early 1680s can be seen in several "öban shunga" albums, including "Imayö Yoshiwara Makura" (the Yoshiwara Pillow Modernized) and "Koi no Minakami" (The Sources of Love). The former is an example of pure "shunga," while the latter is a subdued series of love scenes that are gracefully idealized.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts' documentation of Moronobu from these peak years is revealed in several book illustrations from the artist's "Bijin-e Zukushi" of 1683 (Cat. No. 2). These illustrations typify the lovely grace of his group compositions, in which every figure takes a part in the total scene. This and his dynamic singing line are the salient features of Moronobu's art.
In the picture books of this early age, texts generally were included above the illustrations themselves, as in "Bijin-e Zukushi." In the numerous single-sheet albums, however, no similar use of text matter was made. Dr. Kiyoshi Shibui's theory is that copies of Chinese textless erotic sets were the impetus for these first albums, rather than literature. These albums in turn paved the way for the independent single-sheet. Moronobu's great album designs of the 1680s unquestionably represent some of his finest work. One omnibus of this album style can be seen in the "shunga" plate from the Academy Collection (Cat. No. 3). This sweeping overall composition with a certain decorative emphasis on the "kimono" is typical of Moronobu's fully developed style. This same striking sense of design also can be observed in such "shunga" books as "Koi no Hana Murasaki" (Love's Violet) produced around 1686 and "Koshoku Hana no Sakazuki" (Erotics: The Flowered Sake-cup) of 1687.
The last surviving book signed by Moronobu is "Sugata-e Hyakunin Isshu," dated 1695. The Michener Collection contains a page from this book, which, despite its poor condition, provides a sampling of Moronobu's style in his last years (Cat. No. 4). The colophon of the complete book refers to Moronobu as already deceased. Since his death has been confirmed by temple registers as being in the sixth month of the seventh year of Genroku (1694), it is assumed that the above-mentioned work was prepared by Morofusa, his son, from drawings left by Moronobu, thus accounting for the weak, rather tedious drawing of the illustrations.
By 1709, Moronobu was being compared favorably with "Ukiyo" Matabei (cf. "Füryü Kagami ga Ike") and a year later he was hailed as the founder of "ukiyo-e" in the Edo region (cf. "Kankatsu Heike Monogatari"). These accolades provide an indication of the flamboyant appraisals that must have been given Moronobu in the early 1700s.
In the light of modern scholarship, Moronobu's position in "ukiyo-e" history is simply this: he was not the inventor or founder of "ukiyo-e" but rather its consolidator. He brought to "ukiyo-e" a perfection that gave strength to the entire school.
Research by: Howard A. Link.
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