Salon Culture in Japan: Making Art 1750-1900
Edited by Yano Akiko
British Museum Press (2024)
ISBN-13: 978-0714124964
Review by Arichi Meri
Salon Culture in Japan: Making Art 1750 – 1900 was published in summer 2024 to accompany the special display of a selection of works from the British Museum’s collection of Japanese art, City life and salon culture in Kyoto and Osaka, 1770–1900 (April 2024-March 2025). The book and the display are the results of a three-year project supported by UK Research and Innovation through the Economic and Social Science Research Council and by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science through an international joint research programme. The focus of this project is the unique social environment in which collaborative art-making practice flourished in two cities, Osaka and Kyoto, during the second half of the Edo period (1603-1868) and most of the Meiji period (1868-1912). The title Salon Culture in Japan is intriguing, as the word “salon” in an art historical context is strongly associated with the Paris Salon, the official state exhibition of art in France from the 17th to the 19th centuries, and it has not been discussed previously in the context of Japanese art. So what is salon culture in Japan?
The introduction by Yano Akiko, the editor, clarifies the question immediately by pointing out the phenomenon of gatherings of like-minded practitioners of art, both professionals and amateurs, in urban centres, mainly in Osaka and Kyoto. The collaborative nature of art-making is revealed by examples of paintings which feature contributions by multiple artists. A hanging scroll Turtles is by ten Osaka artists, possibly organized by Mori Shuho (1738-1823) whose artistic lineage came to be known as the Mori School. Two other artists of the Mori lineage, his son and a nephew also added their turtles, but interestingly the other seven artists contributing were from unrelated stylistic traditions. Untangling their relationships or understanding the purpose of the collaboration can be challenging without any textual record, but this was certainly not an isolated case.
Examples of collaborative paintings from the British Museum’s collection included in the Japanese Gallery’s display and in this publication indicate the popularity of group practice often in friendly and spontaneous environments in Osaka and Kyoto. An amusing example of such a painting is the hanging scroll Fireflies. In 1881, two grandsons of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert Victor (1864-1892) and Prince George (future George V, 1865-1936) visited Japan and they were entertained by artists including Kubota Beisen (1852-1906) in Kyoto. Prince George was invited to make some ink marks on the paper and Beisen added a few brushstrokes to each, thus turning them into fireflies. The impromptu nature of the occasion suggests that collaboration often occurred regardless of social rank, family connection or artistic school. Collaborative paintings on set themes could sometimes be created in more formal circumstances too, but many examples in the British Museum are attractive for their light-hearted approach.
Such collaboration was not confined to the genre of painting, and we find that printed materials such as Surimono, luxury prints privately commissioned by kyoka (Crazy verse) clubs, often involved many people. Commemorating or recording group activities was an essential element of Surimono commissions which combined images and poems by many club members. Members of kyoka clubs, haiku clubs and Chinese style poetry clubs all used their pseudonyms (pen-name or artist’s name) which made it easier for people from different social backgrounds including women or participants of official rank to contribute. The egalitarian nature of club activities in the strictly stratified Edo society is a particularly fascinating and noteworthy aspect of the salon culture.
The increase of commissions from clubs encouraged the rapid growth of the publishing industry in urban centres. The salon culture also contributed to the increase of printed manuals designed to assist enthusiastic amateurs to take up the hobby of painting. The stimulus from imported Chinese painting manuals such as The Mustard Seed Garden, and the popularity of Hokusai’s 10-volume publication of his painting manual Manga are well-known, but there were many other such instruction books to satisfy the public’s appetite for their hobbies.
After the informative introduction, the book has five chapters: ‘Cities and the performing arts’ by Andrew Gerstle, ‘Painting everyday life’ by Timothy Clark, ‘Capturing nature’ by Afred Haft, ‘China in Japan’ by Rosina Buckland, and ‘Poems and images’ by Yano Akiko. Each chapter also includes studies by experts in each field from Japan and elsewhere.
The performing arts were integral to these collaborative activities. It is interesting to learn that the popularity of Kabuki theatre in Osaka and Kyoto encouraged the development of actor prints that were remarkably different from those produced in Edo. In Osaka, many of the actor prints were designed by passionate fans of the actors, while actor prints were produced by professional Ukiyo-e artists in Edo. The involvement of fans in the performing arts was also noticeable in the popularity of amateurs taking lessons in Joruri or Noh chanting as a hobby from professionals in the late Edo period. Moreover, in today’s Japan, the practice of enthusiastic amateurs taking lessons in Noh chanting or Noh dance as a cultural accomplishment has its origins in the salon culture created by teacher-pupil relationships in Osaka and Kyoto. The popularity of other hobby activities such as tea ceremony or Ikebana flower arrangement today all depend on this teacher-pupil salon structure.
The next three chapters analyse the subject matter of paintings which reflect the move towards the much more secular society of the Edo period. Depiction of people’s lives, animals and birds, flowers and plants, as well as scenes from the classic Chinese themes were painted in various styles. The artistic landscape of the Edo period was complex, but two new strands, that of the Maruyama-Shijo style and the literati tradition, were particularly significant. Artists of the Maruyama-Shijo school followed the painting style of Maruyama Okyo with its strong emphasis on drawing from observation of nature. This was in a sharp contrast to the rigid copying training of the established Kano school.
The ideal of “literati” originally manifested itself in the Yuan dynasty in China when government officials under the rule of the Mongols relinquished their official positions and escaped to the countryside to pursue an artistic life. This idea was transformed in Japan among people of a totally different social background in the Edo period. The study of classical Chinese literature and philosophy was the driving force for the Japanese literati. However, since travel abroad was prohibited by the shogunate during the Edo period, China remained as an “idea” for Japanese artists who had to be content to paint imaginary landscapes using Chinese brush-strokes. The interest in China also encouraged the popularity of Sencha ceremony as a salon activity.
The last chapter of the book ‘Poetry and images’ reiterates the long tradition of the close relationship between words and images in Japan. The records of poetry gatherings at the imperial court during the Heian period (794-1185) were the source of multiple anthologies of poems. These poetry gatherings, or renga linked verse parties, can be described as “salon activity”, but participation was exclusive to elite members of society. However, the salon culture of the Edo period was open to all. This dynamic and fluid relationship between painters, poets, and calligraphers was a distinct condition of the salon culture in Osaka and Kyoto, offering to us a new angle to the study of the art of the Edo period.
The book is beautifully illustrated with rare images from the British Museum’s extensive collection, with detailed sections of scrolls and pages from printed books which have not been easily accessible up till now. These works of art have been digitized and their texts transcribed into a large online database which will be maintained by the Art Research Centre at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto. Future research into Japanese paintings and printed books will greatly benefit from this project.
Previous studies in Japanese art often focused on individual artists or well-known schools, but the role ordinary citizens played in art-making has not been discussed in a coherent way. In this book the essays by experts in each field offer fresh and valuable insights into the collaborative nature of art-making in the 18th and 19th centuries in Osaka and Kyoto. The book will serve as an important reference source for historians of Japanese art, as well as an enjoyable read for anyone interested in Japanese visual culture.