| dc.description.abstract | Kaburaki Kiyokata (1878-1972) was one of the representative nihonga painters in Taishō-Showa periods. His figure paintings, fusing secular savor of the Edo-Meiji worlds and elegant literati taste, often won prizes in Bunten and Teiten, the Japanese official fine art exhibitions. His achievement as a painter has been recognized, but could it sum up Kiyokata’s career? In fact, Kiyokata worked as a popular illustrator in Meiji-Taishō periods before he became a professional nihonga painter. Although Kiyokata’s early biography and works have been studied, detailed analysis of his prints are still scanty. For this reason, this thesis will focus on the visual features and technique of the kuchi-e prints by Kaburaki Kiyokata, with focus on the works made for the famous romantic writer Izumi Kyōka (1873-1939). Moreover, to explore the significance of this period, I will compare Kiyokata’s works with the ukiyo-e prints of the Edo period as well as with those of other illustrators’ in the Meiji-Taishō periods.
The kuchi-e prints were often inserted in the frontispieces of novels and literary journals from the Meiji 30s. Despite the fact that many scholars consider those made with woodblock technique as the most important type, there are many different techniques, such as lithography, collotype and heliotype. One trait of Kaburaki Kiyokata’s works is that he was good at all kinds of technique. For instance, his works in the “New Novel” were lithography and those in the “Bungei Club” were woodblock prints. Since the two publications aimed to attract different readers, it demonstrates how Kiyokata adjusted his styles to meet public preferences.
The prints of Izumi Kyōka’s series by Kaburaki Kiyokata were mainly made from Meiji 35 to Taishō 2 (1902-1913). With twenty-two pieces in total, these works offer a complete series to show the cooperation of a writer and an illustrator. The Izumi Kyōka’s series have three features. First, they not only show a part of the plot of the novel but also express characters’ personality and social status, creating an atmosphere similar to film photographs. Second, Kiyokata used woodblock and lithography appropriately to make prints, and fused the traits of both skills in some works. Third, they are not only traced back to the features of ukiyo-e prints but also contain new elements of narrative literature and inner emotions of the figures. These features deeply influenced his nihonga paintings. In conclusion, the prints of Izumi Kyōka’s series by Kaburaki Kiyokata connected the elements of nostalgia and innovation appropriately, which received readers’ recognitions in the Meiji-Taishō periods. | en_US |