is a style of
Japanese paintingis one of the oldest and most highly refined of the Japanese arts, encompassing a wide variety of genre and styles. As with the history of Japanese arts in general, the history Japanese painting is a long history of synthesis and competition between native Japanese aesthetics and adaptation of...
based on the
aestheticsAesthetics is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
of
haikaiHaikai is a poetic genre that includes a number of forms which embrace the aesthetics of haikai no renga, and what Bashō referred to as the "poetic spirit" , including haiku, renku , haibun, haiga and senryū ."Haikai" is sometimes used as an abbreviation for "haikai no...
, from which
haiku' , plural haiku, is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 moras , in three metrical phrases of 5, 7, and 5 moras respectively. Haiku typically contain a kigo, or seasonal reference, and a kireji or verbal caesura...
poetry derives, which often accompanied such poems in a single piece. Like the poetic forms it accompanied,
haiga was based on simple, yet often profound, observations of the everyday world. Stephen Addiss points out that "since they are both created with the same brush and ink, adding an image to a haiku poem was... a natural activity."
Just as haiku often internally
juxtaposeJuxtaposition may refer to:* Juxtaposition , synonymous with contrast, two objects or texts that oppose one another* Random juxtaposition, two random objects moving in parallel, a technique intended to stimulate creativity...
two images,
haiga may also contain a juxtaposition between the haiku itself and the art work. The art work does not necessarily directly represent the images presented in the haiku.
Stylistically,
haiga vary widely based on the preferences and training of the individual painter, but generally show influences of formal
Kanō schoolThe ' is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting.It was founded by Kanō Masanobu , a contemporary of Sesshū and student of Shūbun. Some scholars write that though Masanobu mastered elements of Chinese painting and of Shubun's style, he was overall mediocre and lacked the originality and...
painting, minimalist Zen painting, and Ōtsu-e, while sharing much of the aesthetic attitudes of the
nanga tradition. Some were reproduced as
woodblock printsWoodblock printing in Japan is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre; however, it was also used very widely for printing books in the same period...
. The subjects painted likewise vary widely, but are generally elements mentioned in the calligraphy, or poetic images which add meaning or depth to that expressed by the poem. The moon is a common subject in these poems and paintings, sometimes represented by the Zen circle
ensōEnsō is a Japanese word meaning "circle" and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void; it can also symbolize...
, which evokes a number of other meanings, including that of the
voidMu , and Wu is a word which has been roughly translated as "no", "none", "null", "without", "no meaning"...
. Other subjects, ranging from
Mount Fujiis the highest mountain in Japan at . Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains" . An active volcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji is just west of Tokyo, and can be seen on a clear day...
to rooftops, are frequently represented with a minimum of brushstrokes, thus evoking elegance and beauty in simplicity.
History
Nonoguchi Ryūho (1595-1669), a student of
Kanō Tanyūwas one of the foremost Japanese painters of the Kanō school. His original given name was Morinobu; he was the eldest son of Kanō Takanobu and grandson of Kanō Eitoku. Many of the most famous and widely known Kanō works today are by Tan'yū....
, is sometimes credited with founding the form; though poetry was commonly accompanied by images for centuries prior, Ryūho was the first poet to regularly include paintings alongside his calligraphy.
Matsuo Bashōwas the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
, known worldwide as the definitive master of haiku, frequently painted as well, and
haiga can be said to have truly become a major form of expression as the result of his works, and those of his students. Like his poems, Bashō's paintings are founded in a simplicity which reveals great depth, complementing the poems they are paired with. Towards the end of his life, he studied painting under Morikawa Kyoriku, his pupil in poetry; the works of both men benefited from the exchange, and a number of works were produced combining Morikawa's painting with Bashō's poetry and calligraphy.
Composing haiku, and painting accompanying pictures, was a common pastime of
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
aesthetes, who would pursue these activities in their spare time, or at friendly gatherings as a communal form of entertainment. The famous novelist
Ihara SaikakuIhara Saikaku was a Japanese poet and creator of the "floating world" genre of Japanese prose .Born the son of the wealthy merchant Hirayama Tōgō in Osaka, he first studied haikai poetry under Matsunaga Teitoku, and later studied under Nishiyama Sōin of the Danrin School of poetry, which...
was one of many people not normally associated with either poetry or painting, who took part. By contrast, the
nanga painter
Yosa BusonYosa Buson, or Yosa no Buson , was a Japanese poet and painter from the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. Buson was born in the village of Kema in Settsu Province...
, widely considered second only to Bashō as a master of haiku, is said to be "the only artist to be included in surveys both of great poets and great painters in Japanese history."
Unlike other schools of art which maintained a standard set of styles passed from master to apprentice, the genre of
haiga encompassed a variety of artists with different approaches. Some, like Bashō, were primarily poets, accompanying their compositions with simple sketches, while others, like Buson, were primarily painters, devoting more space and centrality of focus to the image. Maruyama Goshun and Ki Baitei were among those who tended to paint portraits of poets and other figures in a relatively quick, loose style which looks somewhat
cartoonThe word cartoon has various meanings, based on several very different forms of visual art and illustration. The term has evolved over time....
ish to the modern eye. Some
haiga paintings, such as those by Morikawa Kyoriku, reflect the formal training of the artists, while others, like those by
Nakahara NantenbōNakahara Nantenbō, also known as Tōjū Zenchū and as Nantenbō Tōjū, was a Japanese Zen Buddhist Master. In his time known as a fiery reformer, he was also a prolific and accomplished artist...
, reflect the artist's background in
ZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
.
One overall trend that developed over time, despite this wide variety, was a shift from the circles of literati (
bunjin) painters to the orbit of the
Shijō schoolThe Shijō school , also known as the Maruyama-Shijō school, was an offshoot school of the Maruyama school of Japanese painting founded by Maruyama Ōkyo, and his former student Matsumura Goshun in the late 18th century. This school was one of several that made up the larger Kyoto school...
of the naturalistic painter
Maruyama ŌkyoMaruyama Ōkyo , born Maruyama Masataka, was a Japanese artist active in the late 18th century. He moved to Kyoto, during which he studied artworks from Chinese, Japanese and Western sources. A personal style of Western naturalism mixed with Eastern decorative design emerged, and Ōkyo founded the...
. This move was effected primarily by Maruyama Goshun, and can be seen as well in the works of Yamaguchi Soken. Some later painters, such as Takebe Sōchō, were influenced by
ukiyo-e' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
styles, and used color in highly detailed works.
Though traditional-style
haiga are still produced today, contemporary artists experiment with the form, coupling haiku with digital imagery, photography, and other media.
Haiga artists of note
- Enomoto Kikaku
- Hakuin Ekaku
Hakuin Ekaku was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. He revived the Rinzai school from a moribund period of stagnation, refocusing it on its traditionally rigorous training methods integrating meditation and koan practice...
- Kaga no Chiyo
- Kobayashi Issa
, was a Japanese poet known for his haiku poems and journals. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Bashō, Buson and Shiki...
- Matsumura Goshun
Matsumura Goshun was a Japanese painter of the Edo period. He was fostered by the painter Yosa Buson, who praised him as "a young, major artist". He lived in Osaka from 1781, but returned to his birthplace Kyoto for a short while when news of Buson's illness reached him.-References:*...
- Matsuo Bashō
was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
- Nonoguchi Ryūho
- Sakai Hōitsu
' was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He is famous for reviving the style and popularity of Ogata Kōrin, and for creating a number of reproductions of Kōrin's work.-Family background:...
- Sengai Gibon
- Yosa Buson
Yosa Buson, or Yosa no Buson , was a Japanese poet and painter from the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. Buson was born in the village of Kema in Settsu Province...
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