Page 218 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

one in 1610 with Sasaki Kojirô, another fa- Reitóin and Zengoan, subtemples of Ken- by Takuan Sôhô (1573-1645), himself a
mous swordsman, at Kokura, in northern ninji in Kyoto, datable to the late sixteenth painter and calligrapher of note as well as
Kyushu, the domain of the Hosokawa. In century. The stylistic affinity between a Zen monk, written on folding screens
1637 Musashi joined the Tokugawa garri- Yüshó and Musashi is more than acciden- listed in the nineteenth-century art histori-
sons to chastise the Christian daimyo of tal: Yushô was a warrior turned painter. cal reference book Koga bikd. There also
Shimabara, also in Kyushu. His art of the The brushstrokes of Yüshó, and especially exists a family lineage and history in the
swords recognized, he was offered the po- of Musashi, as in these screens, are artist's own hand, now at Hóryúji.
sition of sword instructor to serve Hoso- charged with decisiveness, speed, and Soga Chokuan specialized in paint-
kawa Tadatoshi (1586-1641), son of Sansai spontaneity not unlike the traces of a ings of chickens and even more of hawks,
and the daimyo of Kumamoto. This pair sword swung in space. YS which were especially favored by military
of screens, which has long been in the Ho- leaders in the Muromachi period. Cho-
sokawa family, was reportedly commis- kuan's conservative style, characterized by
sioned by Tadatoshi, which may explain 129 Plum trees and pair of hawks formalized brushwork and hardened
the absence of Musashi's signature or seals Soga Nichokuan (fl. mid-iyth century) forms, satisfied this demand. Although Ni-
as a sign of humility. pair of six-fold screens, ink and color chokuan carried on his father's subject
Where Musashi studied painting is on paper l matter and style, he eventually developed
unknown. It is likely that he was self- 156.2 x 363.0 (6i /2 x 143) his own eccentric forms while absorbing
taught, as were other warrior painters, Edo period, mid-iyth century the current style of Edo-period ink paint-
such as Ashikaga Yoshimochi of the Muro- Takamori Shigeru Collection, ing. The work shown here reflects this
machi period. Over twenty-five ink paint- Kumamoto Prefecture transformation. WA
ings of various subjects by Musashi exist,
many of them stamped with his seals, in- Soga Nichokuan was the son of Soga Cho-
cluding Bodhidharma and other Zen- kuan, an artist active during the Momo-
inspired themes. This pair, by far the best yama period in the port city of Sakai
work by Musashi, shows that he was di- (south of present-day Osaka). Although Ni-
rectly inspired by the style of Kaiho chokuan's dates are unknown, there is evi-
Yusho's (1533-1615) sliding-door panels at dence that he was active in 1656. The
evidence is in the form of an inscription

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