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Takeuchi Seihô (1864-1942) & Saitô Shôshû (1870-1934)
Nihonga
Bon-Odori, the dance at the Bon festival
Signed: Shagetsu Seihô sei & byô odorimono sha Shô ..(Seihô sei made the moon, Shô .. painted dancing people)
Seals: Seihô & Shôshû
Technique: sumi and colours on paper 17,5 x 23,6
Mounting: green gold damask and green silk 98 x 32,6
Condition: mounted album leaf, fine

The Obon festival lasts for three days in mid August.
Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

Seihô was one of the last very important and famous Maruyama-Shijô style painters.
He was an extremely skilful painter, which earned him fame and a lot of pupils. He entered Bairei's studio at the age of 16 and already in the following year he won his first prize at an exhibition, which is a rare for such a young artist.
He eagerly studied all different styles. In 1900 he went to Europe for six months to get acquainted with western painting. On his return he changed the first character "Sei" of his name into a character meaning "West". His two trips to China in 1920 and 1921 meant another enrichment to his painting. His flexibility in styles and the flamboyantly virtuoso way he handled his brush meant in the eyes of some critics that his craftsmanship reduced his artistic abilities.

Reference:
Next to a number of monographs in any general book on modern Japanese painting:
Harada 1981
Roberts p. 171
Araki p. 1633
Berry & Morioka ‘99 pp. 130-137
Conant pp. 322-323

Shôshû was born in Osaka. He studied with Suzuki Shônen (1849-1918). In Tokyo he became haiga painter.

Reference:
Araki p. 1027

Price: ON REQUEST