Name/Title
Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavillion), KyotoEntry/Object ID
2001.02.05Description
Print
This image depicts Kinkaku-ji, ("Temple of the Golden Pavilion"), officially named Rokuon-ji ("Deer Garden Temple"), a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. It was built in the 14th century, originally as a villa for a powerful shogun, with its two top levels completely covered in gold leaf. The temple is shown here with its reflection in the kyoko-chi, or Mirror Pond set at the foot of Kinugasa Hill in a Japanese strolling garden.Artwork Details
Medium
Colour woodblock printSubject Place
Region
East AsiaContinent
AsiaContext
The name Kinkaku-ji, "Golden Pavilion", is derived from the gold-leaf covering and has symbolic meaning, with the gold intended to mitigate and purify fears and negative thoughts of death. The gold was also, of course, intended to create a visually beautiful effect with reflected sunlight on the temple itself and shimmering reflections in the mirror pond.
The present pavilion structure dates from 1955, when it was rebuilt following a devastating fire. It is a three-story building incorporating three distinct styles of architecture (shinden, samurai and zen), one style per floor. The reconstruction is said to be close to the original, although there is some doubt such an extensive gold-leaf coating was used on the original. Severely damaged gold-leaf was replaced some 30 years later, and the interior of the building and some contents, such as paintings, were also restored. The roof was restored in 2003.
The pavilion attracts many visitors and is designated as a National Special Historic Site, a National Special Landscape and is one of the 17 locations of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto" which are all World Heritage Sites.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950)Role
PrintmakerDate made
1933Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan, Hiroshi Yoshida, print-maker and painter, was a leading figure of the ‘Shin Hanga’ (New Print) movement that revived traditional Japanese woodblock printing in the early 20th century. Well-traveled and knowledgeable of Western aesthetics, he sustained his loyalty to Japanese tradition.
His early artistic aptitude for art was fostered by his adoptive father, Kasaburo Yoshida, a public school art teacher. He later left Kurume to study with Soritsu Tamura (1846-1918) in Kyoto, subsequently moving to Tokyo and joined Koyama Shotaro's (1857-1916) Fudosha private school and the Meiji Fine Arts Society. There, Yoshida studied Western-style painting, winning exhibition prizes and making several trips to the United States, Europe and northern Africa selling his watercolours and oil paintings. In 1902, he played a leading role in the reorganization of the Meiji Fine Arts Society as the Taiheiyo-Gakai (Pacific Painting Association). He traveled again to the United States, Europe and northern Africa, 1903-1907. He became a very successful painter in oil and watercolour in the light and airy style he had learned from the West.
In 1920 Yoshida began to design woodblock prints for the artist Sadeo Watanabe (1913-1996), but unfortunately in 1923 all was lost in the Kanto earthquake. Soon after Yoshida left for the United States to raise funds for himself and others, he realized that Ukiyo-e genre woodblock prints were much desired in North America and beyond. On his return, Yoshida set up his own establishment to produce his own designs in print form. From 1925 onward, Yoshida devoted his career mainly to prints, and their high quality production. He specialized in landscapes inspired both by his native country and his many travels abroad. His “Japanese Woodblock Printing”, a comprehensive guide to the craft of woodblock printing, was published in 1939 and he designed his last print in 1946, although he continued to paint until his death four years later. Of note, the artistic legacy of the Yoshida family includes eight artists.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Inscription, Signature, DateLocation
Lower left margin titled in pencil: Kinkaku
Lower right margin signed in pencil: Hiroshi Yoshida
Left margin: Jizuri seal (self printed), followed by the date, and title
Lower right in image: Signed in sumi ink, Yoshida, with artist's seal HiroshiDimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
40.6 cmWidth
27.9 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
2004Notes
Legacy collection
Donated by the Family of Commodore Arthur Graham Bridgman (RCN, ret'd. 1917-2004), former UCBC MemberRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
By Hiroshi Yoshida:
2001.02.05 Kinkaku (The Golden Pavilion, Kyoto)
2001.02.06 Glittering Sea (The Inland Sea series)
