Hishikawa Moronobu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hishikawa Moronobu
Bijin-ga hanging scroll (detail)
Born	1618 Hodomura, Kyonan, Awa Province, Japan
Died	(1694-07-25)25 July 1694 (aged 76) Edo, now Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Known for	ukiyo-e

Hishikawa Moronobu (Japanese: 菱川 師宣; 1618 – 25 July 1694) was a famous Japanese artist. He helped make the ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and paintings very popular in the late 1600s. He brought together different Japanese art styles and helped ukiyo-e grow into what it became.

Early Life and Art Training

Moronobu was born in Hoda, near Edo Bay. His father was a skilled embroiderer who made beautiful tapestries for temples and rich people. Moronobu likely learned art skills from his father.

In the 1660s, he moved to Edo (which is now Tokyo). There, he studied two important Japanese painting styles: the Tosa and Kanō styles. This training gave him a strong base in both decorative art and traditional painting. Later, he used these skills when he started creating ukiyo-e art. He learned more about ukiyo-e from his teacher, the Kanbun Master.

Moronobu's Famous Ukiyo-e Art

Panel from a series of 12, in abuna-e style. Late 1670s–early 1680s; Woodcut, sumi ink on paper

Moronobu's earliest known artwork is from 1672. It was called One Hundred Warrior Poets. By the mid-1670s, he became the most important ukiyo-e printmaker. He kept this position until he died.

He created more than 100 sets of illustrations, possibly as many as 150. It can be hard to know for sure, as many of his works were not signed. Only a few of his single-sheet prints have survived, and most of them are also unsigned.

Moronobu did not "invent" ukiyo-e. Instead, he took ideas from earlier artists and brought them together. He made ukiyo-e into a truly developed art form. His style was very strong and set the standard for many artists who came after him. People often praise Moronobu's amazing use of lines in his art. He also arranged figures in his pictures in a way that told a story, which was new for the time.

Beauty looking back

Some of Moronobu's prints were colored by hand. However, many were sumizuri-e, which means they were printed only with black ink. In these black and white prints, Moronobu's lines and figures look very powerful. Adding colors by hand sometimes made them less striking. The black and gray lines, along with solid black areas, stood out boldly against the white paper. This created different shades and focused on the shapes and movement of the lines. Moronobu was also creative in how he used curved lines next to straight lines in his designs.

Art Series and Themes

For centuries, it was common for artists to create groups of 12 images. This was seen in court paintings and other art. Moronobu also created art in groups of 12. This allowed him to show different clothes, furniture, and patterns. These often matched the different months of the year.

In 1685, Moronobu published an ukiyo-e book called Kokon Bushidō ezukushi (古今武士道絵つくし, "Images of Bushidō Through the Ages"). This book featured heroic stories of samurai warriors. It had simple descriptions for each artwork. The title included the word bushido, which means "the way of the warrior." This book was made for children, showing how popular his art had become among everyone.

Moronobu's artwork can be found in many museums around the world. It is also held in the Library of Congress.

Gallery

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  Women dressmaking and artisans at work, between 1675 and 1695, Brooklyn Museum.

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  Book cover of Kokon Bushido Ezukushi (Bushido Through The Ages) (1685)

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  Two beauties (ink and color on silk)

See also

In Spanish: Hishikawa Moronobu para niños