The Last Tosa: Iwasa Katsumochi Matabei, Bridge to Ukiyo-e

3 Commoner Style

3 Commoner Style T his book began by recounting how Matabei presented himself in his painted self-portrait and his written diary as a courtly, classical artist of Yamato-e, the self-proclaimed last Tosa. Next, it reported on how history perceived Matabei as the founder of Ukiyo-e and how that perception of him continues to affect the scholarly understanding of him today. Matabei’s insistent claim and history’s consistent counterclaim reveal the staying power of both these perceptions of him, and by now each has been so fully substantiated that neither can be disregarded. Therefore, let us act as mediator between them and regard Matabei to be simultaneously the last Tosa and the founder of Ukiyo-e. Current scholarly consensus supports such a view, but far more compelling is the hermeneutic evidence secreted in the body of Matabei’s art. In subject matter, his paintings are courtly, classical, and Tosa-like; in style, they are paradoxically Ukiyo-e. On Setting the Standard So forward to the task of establishing a body of “standard” works by Matabei, with one caveat for the reader: this is a limited investigation of this painter’s art. We do not set up any absolute standard for judging Matabei’s painting, nor do we seek to create a canon of great works. Our sole purpose is to explain why the artworks upon which this book bases its understanding of Matabei—the selfsame paintings used by Tsuji 74 Nobuo, Narazaki Muneshige, and their followers—are generally accepted among Matabei scholars as a whole. By this standard, the works of Matabei fall into four categories. Paintings of the ¤rst group (my group I) are generally accepted among scholars, are important in the scholarship on Matabei, bear either his signature and/or seals, and have independent documentary or other evidence supporting their attribution to him. Such works also usually conform visually with other works in the group in terms of touch, sensibility, and overall aesthetic value. Works in the second category (group II) play a signi¤cant role in this or other studies of Matabei, but may lack his signature, seals, or supporting documentation. These works may or may not conform stylistically with the paintings in the preceding category. Newly discovered paintings by Matabei that may be of extremely high quality, but which have not been known long enough to have signi¤cantly affected this artist’s study, are placed here as well. Particularly inaccessible works or those that for some other reason are not known to this author fall into this category if they are signed, sealed, or supported by documentation. If not, they are placed in the following group. The third category (group III) consists of paintings that may or may not bear Matabei’s signature and/or seals or that are thought problematic or have not played an important role in previous studies of this artist for whatever reason. Last come the paintings of the Puppet Play Group (my group IV), which in light of the controversy surrounding them are treated separately. Unsigned, unsealed, and undocumented attributions of paintings to Matabei that are not accepted as his work, such as the Kateki and Aridôshi screens, may be mentioned as comparative materials, but are not given separate treatment. Outright copies of Matabei’s paintings, including the Ancients in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., are handled this way as well. No consideration is given to the unsigned, unsealed, and undocumented attributions of paintings to Matabei that are no longer accepted as his work, such as the Hikone screen, the Weavers in the Atami Museum of Art, and the various examples of portraits of single standing or seated courtesans of the type known as Kambun beauties. Finally, it is to be noted that while I have made an effort to cover the body of Matabei’s artwork as established by Tsuji and Narazaki,1 there is no claim to be all inclusive. The following listing of a selection of Matabei’s paintings, divided into my four groups, gives a general idea of the size and scope of the artist’s body of work. 75 c o m m o n e r s t y l e PAINTINGS BY OR ATTRIBUTED TO IWASA MATABEI The listing that follows is not intended as a complete compilation of the works of Matabei, nor does it include every work by or attributed to...