Nihonga Facts for Kids

Nihonga (日本画) means "Japanese-style paintings." These are special Japanese artworks created from around the year 1900. They follow old Japanese art rules, techniques, and use traditional materials. Even though these paintings are based on traditions that are over a thousand years old, the name "Nihonga" was actually made up during Japan's Meiji period. This was done to tell them apart from Western-style paintings, which were called Yōga (洋画).

History of Nihonga
- Nihonga Around the World
Materials Used in Nihonga
Techniques in Nihonga
Images for kids
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History of Nihonga

During the Meiji period, many Japanese people became very interested in Western culture. Some artists and teachers, like Shiokawa Bunrin and Kōno Bairei, along with art experts Okakura Tenshin and Ernest Fenollosa, wanted to remind everyone about the beauty of traditional Japanese arts. They helped create art school lessons and supported artists who worked in the old Japanese style.

Nihonga wasn't just a copy of older paintings. It took ideas from different traditional art schools, like the Kanō school and Rinpa school. Artists also started painting new kinds of subjects. Sometimes, Nihonga artists even used Western art techniques, like perspective (making things look far away or close) and shading. This mix of styles makes Nihonga unique. Today, it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between Nihonga and Yōga because artists often combine different techniques.

Nihonga Around the World

Nihonga art is popular in many countries, not just Japan! Some famous Nihonga artists who live outside Japan include Hiroshi Senju and Makoto Fujimura from the United States. There are also artists like Judith Kruger and Miyuki Tanobe, and Madhu Jain from India. These artists often teach others about Nihonga techniques. For example, Judith Kruger taught a course called "Nihonga: Then and Now" at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Many talented artists who studied Nihonga at the Tokyo University of the Arts are now showing their work all over the world.

Materials Used in Nihonga

Nihonga paintings are usually made on special Japanese paper called washi or on silk fabric, using brushes. The paintings can be either one color (monochrome) or many colors (polychrome).

Monochrome paintings usually use sumi (Chinese ink). This ink is made from soot mixed with a glue from fish bones or animal hides.
Polychrome paintings use colors that come from natural things. These include minerals, shells, corals, and even semi-precious stones like malachite (green), azurite (blue), and cinnabar (red).
These natural materials are ground into a powder. The powder can be very fine or a bit sandy, with 16 different textures!
A special glue called nikawa (made from animal hide) is mixed with these powdered colors to help them stick.
Water is always used, so Nihonga is a type of water-based painting.
Gofun is another important material. It's a white powder made from crushed oyster, clam, or scallop shells. Gofun is used to prepare the surface, as a base layer, and as a bright white color.

In the past, Nihonga was painted on hanging scrolls (kakemono), hand scrolls (emakimono), sliding doors (fusuma), or folding screens (byōbu). Today, most Nihonga are painted on paper stretched onto wood panels, which are easy to frame. These paintings are very strong and can last for thousands of years without needing to be protected by glass.

Techniques in Nihonga

In one-color (monochrome) Nihonga, artists create different shades by changing how much ink they use. They can make near-white, gray, or black tones. Sometimes, they even get greenish tones to show things like trees, water, or mountains.

In colorful (polychrome) Nihonga, artists decide whether to use outlines or not. For example, they usually don't use outlines when painting birds or plants. Sometimes, they use washes (thin layers of color) and layer different pigments to create interesting effects. Artists might even add gold or silver leaf to their paintings to make them shine!