Kawanabe Kyōsai

Lore & Background

Kawanabe Kyōsai was a Japanese painter and caricaturist active from the Edo period into the Meiji era, witnessing Japan’s transformation from a feudal state to a modern nation. Born in Koga, the son of a samurai, he experienced a formative shock at age nine when he retrieved a severed human head from the Kanda river. He briefly worked with ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi before receiving formal training in the Kanō school under Maemura Tōwa, who gave him the nickname “The Painting Demon.” Kyōsai soon left these formal traditions for the greater freedom of the popular school. During the political upheavals surrounding the 1867 revolution, he gained renown as a caricaturist, producing a very long handscroll titled “The battle of the farts” that satirized the turmoil. He was arrested three times by shogunate authorities, and after the Meiji emperor assumed power, another caricature criticizing the new government led to his arrest by the opposing party. His collaboration with writer Kanagaki Robun began after the 1855 Edo earthquake, when a sketch of a catfish by Kyōsai accompanied Robun’s account and became his first single-sheet ukiyo-e woodblock print; its success led to a series of similar catfish images known as namazu-e. Kyōsai is considered the greatest successor of Hokusai (though not his pupil) and Japan’s first political caricaturist. His work mirrored his life in its wild, undisciplined nature, occasionally reflecting his love of drink, and compensated for any lack of dignity or power with fantastic exuberance and technically excellent draughtsmanship. In 1874, he created what is considered the first manga magazine, *Eshinbun Nipponchi*, with Kanagaki Robun, though it lasted only three issues. Beyond caricatures, he painted many pictures and sketches drawing on Japanese folklore, Noh plays, nature, and religion, such as “The Temptation of Shaka Niorai” and “The Goddess Kwannon on a dragon.” A fine collection of his works is held in the British Museum, with examples also at the National Art Library in South Kensington and the Guimet Museum in Paris. The Kawanabe Kyōsai Memorial Museum was established in 1977 in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture. His daughter, Kawanabe Gyōsui, became a significant eccentric artist in the late 19th century, teaching nihonga at Joshibi University and producing prints and kachō-ga. Kyōsai died of gastric cancer, and a crater on

Reader's Guide

Kawanabe Kyōsai’s significance rests on his dual role as a virtuoso of traditional Japanese painting and as Japan’s first political caricaturist. Living through the transition from the Edo period to the Meiji period, he witnessed Japan’s shift from a feudal society to a modern state and used his art to comment on the resulting upheaval. His caricatures, such as a very long handscroll titled “The battle of the farts,” are seen as satirical responses to the political foment surrounding the revolution of 1867. This willingness to critique authority led to his arrest three times by shogunate officials, and later, after the Emperor Meiji assumed power, another caricature brought him before the police of the new regime. His collaboration with writer Kanagaki Robun began after the 1855 Edo earthquake, when a sketch of a catfish he made for Robun’s account became his first single-sheet ukiyo-e woodblock print; its success led to a series of similar catfish images. Together, they created what is considered the first manga magazine in 1874, *Eshinbun Nipponchi*, which was heavily influenced by the British cartoonist Charles Wirgman’s *Japan Punch* but lasted only three issues. Beyond satire, Kyōsai painted extensively from Japanese folklore, Noh plays, nature, and religion, producing works such as *The Temptation of Shaka Niorai* and *The Goddess Kwannon on a dragon*. Art historian Timothy Clark described him as an individualist and independent, perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting. His technical draughtsmanship was excellent, and his work, though lacking Hokusai’s dignity, compensated with fantastic exuberance. A crater on Mercury has been named in his honor.

Did You Know?

• At age nine, Kyōsai picked up a human head separated from a corpse in the Kanda river.
• His Kanō school teacher Maemura Tōwa gave him the nickname 'The Painting Demon.'
• A crater on Mercury has been named in his honor.

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