Bijinkan-agi-zu (Beautiful Woman with Frogs): Unique World Drawn by Kawanabe Kyōsai, the Master of All Japanese Painting Technique

Kawanabe Kyōsai was an artist who was active from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period. He was extremely popular, being the number one in the ukiyo-e ranking at the time. Not only Kyōsai was good at ukiyo-e, but also he was good at the orthodox Kanō style painting. In addition to hand-painted drawings, he has demonstrated his talents in all fields, including book illustrations, kabuki signboards, and craft design. Among these Kyōsai’s works, “Bijinkan-agi-zu (Beautiful Woman with Frogs)” is told to be the pioneering masterpiece of modern Japanese painting.

Bijinkan-agi-zu (Beautiful Woman with Frogs) by Kawanabe Kyōsai

Unlike the typical ukiyo-e style, the expression of a beautiful woman cooling down in the garden with a fan is drawn very naturally, and makes you feel the “modern *bijinga” feeling.

*Bijinga: a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art.

The frogs in front of the beautiful woman’s sight was drawn by Kyōsai who was also good at caricature. They were drawn naturally and happily as if they were human.

A realistic beauty that was rare in the early Meiji era, and a frog that was anthropomorphized but had the character of a frog. The scene of this humorous work that coexists the real and the unreal world comes from Kyōsai’s playfulness and painting techniques. The most important feature of this work is that by drawing a beautiful woman in a realistic way, the frog playing freely can be made to stand out more.

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    Our Feelings For Kakejiku

     The Japanese people have long set a high value on aesthetic senses since ancient times. As a result, the
    peculiar culture which is not seen in other countries blossomed and many aspects of the modern Japanese
    culture come from it. Parts of Japanese culture has been introduced to people in other countries recently,
    so the number of people from other countries who are interested in Japanese culture has been increasing.
    However, the Japanese aesthetic senses, which are the bases of Japanese culture, have been nurtured
    through a long history, intertwining various elements intricately, such as climate, geographical features,
    religion, customs and so on. Therefore, they are very difficult to understand not only for people from other
    countries, but even for the Japanese people. I think the best tool which conveys these difficult senses
    understandably is a “kakejiku.”
     The kakejiku (a hanging scroll; a work of calligraphy or a painting which is mounted and hung in an
    alcove or on a wall) is a traditional Japanese art. It's no exaggeration to say that paintings are what
    express aesthetic senses at all times and places. The kakejiku is an art which expresses the Japanese
    aesthetic senses. The kakejiku has long been used in traditional Japanese events, daily life and so on since
    ancient times. As a result, there are various customs of kakejiku in Japan; kakejiku and the life of the
    Japanese are closely related. We can see Japanese values through kakejiku.
     The kakejiku is a cultural tradition which the Japanese people should be proud of. However, many people
    in other countries don't know much about it because it hasn't been showcased as much. This is why I
    decided to try to introduce it. The kakejiku world is very interesting and beautiful. We want not only the
    Japanese, but also many people from other countries to know and enjoy it. I hope that many people will
    love kakejiku someday.

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    Name Art Nomura

    President Tatsuji Nomura

    Founded1973

    Established1992

    Address7-23 Babadori, Tarumi-ku, Kobe city,
    Hyougo Prefecture, 655-0021, Japan


    Capital10 million yen

    URLhttp://nomurakakejiku.com

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     Art Nomura is an art dealer which produces kakejiku (hanging scrolls). We mount many paintings and calligraphic works in kakejiku in my factory. Kakejiku are our main product. We also remount and repair old or damaged kakejiku. We share the traditional Japanese art of kakejiku with people all over the world.


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     The Japanese people have long set a high value on aesthetic senses since ancient times. As a result, the
    peculiar culture which is not seen in other countries blossomed and many aspects of the modern Japanese
    culture come from it. Parts of Japanese culture has been introduced to people in other countries recently,
    so the number of people from other countries who are interested in Japanese culture has been increasing.
    However, the Japanese aesthetic senses, which are the bases of Japanese culture, have been nurtured
    through a long history, intertwining various elements intricately, such as climate, geographical features,
    religion, customs and so on. Therefore, they are very difficult to understand not only for people from other
    countries, but even for the Japanese people. I think the best tool which conveys these difficult senses
    understandably is a “kakejiku.”
     The kakejiku (a hanging scroll; a work of calligraphy or a painting which is mounted and hung in an
    alcove or on a wall) is a traditional Japanese art. It's no exaggeration to say that paintings are what
    express aesthetic senses at all times and places. The kakejiku is an art which expresses the Japanese
    aesthetic senses. The kakejiku has long been used in traditional Japanese events, daily life and so on since
    ancient times. As a result, there are various customs of kakejiku in Japan; kakejiku and the life of the
    Japanese are closely related. We can see Japanese values through kakejiku.
     The kakejiku is a cultural tradition which the Japanese people should be proud of. However, many people
    in other countries don't know much about it because it hasn't been showcased as much. This is why I
    decided to try to introduce it. The kakejiku world is very interesting and beautiful. We want not only the
    Japanese, but also many people from other countries to know and enjoy it. I hope that many people will
    love kakejiku someday.

    (or press ESC or click the overlay)