Lot 279: Tomioka Tessai (1836-1924) Dated 1914

Dated 1914
Kakejiku, in sumi and muted red, green and yellow on paper, depicting the demon-queller Shoki holding a bat and seated astride a tiger, signed hijya koufuku (in with fortune, out with evil), Taisho sannen tora doshi ichigatsu torabi yonhyaku rokuju-shichi koshi Tessai gaishi shihitsu (the first paint on the day of Tiger in the first month of the Year of the Tiger [3rd year of Taisho], Tessai, a man of 467 koshi [daily cycles]) with two seals; with tomobako titled and signed by the artist with seal; the inside of the cover, Taisho sanki saiji kinoetora ichigatsu torabi shihitsu, shichijyu-yu-kyu-o Tessai gaishi jidaicho (started to paint on the day of the Tiger in the first month of the year of the Tiger, Taisho 3 [1914], titled and signed by Tessai, an old man of 79 years old); with outer wood storage box. 136.5cm x 57.2cm (53¾in x 22½in). (3).

????(????)? ?????
? ?????????????????????????????
?? ???? 1914?

Shoki is particularly associated in Japan with Boys' festival on May 5th, where his image is displayed in the household in order to protect boys from harm.

Tessai's coarse, vibrant brushwork vividly conveys the fiercely protective nature of the deity, but the playful, lighthearted quality of the image reveals their underlying benevolence. This image is also remarkable for its sense of humour, with the valiant, determined expression of Shoki foiled by the whimsical smile of his tiger.

The juxtaposition of the wet and dry brushstrokes shift parts of the image in and out of focus, with Shoki's facial features picked out in crisp detail against a pale sprig of prunus blossom in the background, and the watery ink tones of Shoki's robes complementing the thick, dark calligraphy that frames the image. The treatment of the tiger is especially unusual; its ink stripes have been applied over the still-wet wash of its body colour, creating a blurred effect that contrasts completely with the near-dry brush strokes used to define the body of its rider.

The image's inscription dates it to the third year of Taisho (1914), ten years before Tessai's death. The emotional and expressive style in which this image is painted marks a breaking point with his previous work in more orthodox styles, and indicates Tessai's movement towards the more personal artistic vision that defined his late works. Zen Buddhist, Confucian and Daoist figures and themes featured heavily in his final period, depicted in strong, wild brushwork and splashes of bright colour. These images were particularly influential in reinvigorating scholarly painting (Bunjin-ga), which by the Meiji period had come to be seen as stagnant and old fashioned. Tessai's image at first seems almost child-like, but the brushwork reveals surprising wit and subtlety, reflecting his extensive artistic education in a variety of styles, and his remarkable ability to give personality and life to his compositions.