Tsuchiya Koitsu: Master of dramatic light effects (Japanese Art)

Tsuchiya Kōitsu ( 土屋光逸,September 23, 1870 - November 13, 1949) was a Japanese artist in the Shin-hanga movement. He trained under the ukiyo-e master Kobayashi Kiyochika for 19 years, and initially focused on works depicting scenes from the First Sino-Japanese War. In 1931, at the age of 60, he began work for Shōzaburō Watanabe and his art publishing establishment which also published the work of artists like Kawase Hasui and Yoshida Hiroshi. His later work incorporated light effects to increase the emotional impact of his art.Tsuchiya Koitsu was born on September 23, 1870, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. His birth name was either Koichi or Sahei. His artistic talent was recognized at an early age and moved to Tokyo when he was 15. He first had an apprenticeship for the woodblock carver Matsuzaki, but soon became a student of ukiyo-e master Kiyochika Kobayashi who taught him the techniques of woodblock printing and Ogata Gekko. Koitsu's early works were influenced by Kiyochika's style, which was characterized by bold and dynamic compositions. He worked for Kiyochika for 19 years and lived in his house. Read more