青幻舎 SEIGENSHA Art Publishing

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Japanese-style painting (nihonga) split into two factions, the traditionalist Old School (Kyuha) and the more innovation-oriented New School (Shinpa). One prominent member of the Old School was Ikegami Shuho (1874–1944), who was from Nagano Prefecture. Shuho was born in the same year as another Nagano artist, Hishida Shunso (1874–1911), who was a leading light of the New School; in many ways, then, the two personified the emergence and evolution of the two major streams of nihonga.

Shuho was trained in art in the old-fashioned way, through apprenticeship under a master, and favored classical bird-and-flower themes. As such, he has largely been dismissed along with the other Old School artists as dated and today enjoys far less attention compared with Shunso, Yokoyama Taikan, and others of the New School who are credited with having revolutionized nihonga. Yet in actuality, Shuho strove to move beyond blind adherence to Japanese tradition, incorporating techniques for capturing atmosphere and mood—a major concern of the New School artists—into realistic depictions based on faithful sketching from nature.

Published in conjunction with Shuho’s 150th anniversary, this collection looks back on his works and a range of related materials so as to cast light on the art of a master who was much more than a mere traditionalist.