Mizuno Toshikata was born just before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. While making historical paintings and ukiyo-e paintings of beautiful women that followed the style of his master, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, he also established a reputation for illustrations used in newspapers and the frontispieces of literary magazines. During the Meiji Era (1868–1912), ukiyo-e artists were able to expand their repertoires to include print media, which essentially supplanted the reduced demand for ukiyo-e woodblock prints. At the same time, Okakura Kakuzo (Tenshin), who advocated innovation in Japanese painting, lauded Toshikata, leading to several of his works being included in exhibitions. This painting depicts two women serving in the Ooku inner palace at Edo Castle. While the Ooku was hidden from the view of Edo commoners, it was a popular Meiji Era motif and one at which Toshikata, who was fastidious about historical research, excelled. The artist’s skill can be seen in the well-balanced composition that features a diagonal arrangement of the palanquin in the foreground and the woman’s umbrella at the back.
(UCHIYAMA Junko)
Mizuno Toshikata was born just before the Meiji Restoration of 1868. While making historical paintings and ukiyo-e paintings of beautiful women that followed the style of his master, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, he also established a reputation for illustrations used in newspapers and the frontispieces of literary magazines. During the Meiji Era (1868–1912), ukiyo-e artists were able to expand their repertoires to include print media, which essentially supplanted the reduced demand for ukiyo-e woodblock prints. At the same time, Okakura Kakuzo (Tenshin), who advocated innovation in Japanese painting, lauded Toshikata, leading to several of his works being included in exhibitions. This painting depicts two women serving in the Ooku inner palace at Edo Castle. While the Ooku was hidden from the view of Edo commoners, it was a popular Meiji Era motif and one at which Toshikata, who was fastidious about historical research, excelled. The artist’s skill can be seen in the well-balanced composition that features a diagonal arrangement of the palanquin in the foreground and the woman’s umbrella at the back.
(UCHIYAMA Junko)