Glimpse Through Beautiful Medieval Japanese Landscapes From Paintings of Tsuchiya Koitsu

In the early history of Japan, paintings were mostly inspired by the Chinese art style and choosing landscapes as the primary subjects. Throughout history, Japanese artists slowly found their own art styles to vividly express the environment around them. The landscape is referred to as Sansui (山水) in Japan, "san meaning “mountain” and sui “water”. As the result, most Japanese landscape paintings contain mountains and flowing water. One of the most popular landscape artists in the early 19th century is Tsuchiya Koitsu.
Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870 - 1949) was born in a rural area of Japan. From 1931, he was working for the publisher Watanabe in Shin-Hanga style specializing in landscape prints. In his art style, Koitsu intensively used the effects of light to create moods and emotions. This style was inspired by the works of his master - Kiyochika Kobayashi and of the famous Shin-Hanga artists such as Kawase Hasui and Hiroshi Yoshida.
Koitsu prints are solid beautiful works, and by no means mediocre. Thus they have been receiving appreciation from the art community in recent years. We will take a tour through some beloved works of Tsuchiya Koitsu.

#1 Shinobazu Pond in Ueno

#2 Zojo-ji Temple

#3 Yomei Gate in Nikko

#4 Wisteria and Half Moon Bridge at Kameido

#5 Ueno Park

#6 Tea Shop at Kiyomizu Temple

#7 Sunset at Tomonotsu, Inland Sea

#8 Spring Snow at Maruyama

#9 Snow at ukimido, Katada

#10 Sengaku Temple - Graveyard of 47 Ronin

#11 Sacred Bridge in Nikko

#12 Ushigome Kagurazaka

#13 The Pond of Sarusawa, Nara on a Rainy Evening

#14 Pagoda and Cherry Blossoms

#15 Asakusa Kannon Temple

#16 Nezu Shrine in Snow