Tosa Mitsuoki
Japanese, 1617 - 1691
He was the son of Tosa Mitsunori (1583–1638), the painter who brought the Tosa school back to Kyoto after more than half a century in the merchant town of Sakai (now Osaka Prefect.). In 1654 Mitsuoki became the first Tosa edokoro azukari (‘head of the court painting bureau’) since the end of the Muromachi period (1333–1568). With the renewal of Tosa status at court, the school prospered throughout the Edo period (1600–1868). Mitsuoki is generally considered the last major painter of the Tosa school, although he was succeeded by a long line of painters, beginning with his son, Mitsunari (1646–1710). Like his contemporaries of the Kano- school, Mitsuoki revitalized the Tosa-school style by incorporating the spaciousness and lightness of touch found in Song- (AD 960–1279) and Yuan-period (1279–1368) Chinese court painting and in some 15th-century Japanese ink painting. He also put greater stress on ink brushwork. He became one of the most renowned Japanese exponents of bird-and-flower (kacho-) painting in the Chinese court manner and is especially famous for his depictions of quail (see China, §V, 4(i)(c)). Mitsuoki also wrote painting criticism and was a respected connoisseur (see Japan, §XXII). Many paintings bear his inscription of authenticity. Many works attributed to Mitsuoki have survived. Two in the handscroll (emaki) format are O-dera engi emaki (‘Legends of O-dera handscroll’; 1690; Osaka, Aguchi Shrine) and Genji Monogatari emaki (‘Tale of Genji handscroll’; Shiga Prefect., Ishiyamadera), the latter a standard subject in the Tosa repertory. His works in the folding-screen (byo-bu) format include Awabo uzura zu byo-bu (Millet Heads and Quail; priv. col.) and the particularly fine Kiku uzura zu byo-bu (Chrysanthemum and Quail; priv. col.), which he painted with Mitsunari.
Karen L. Brock and Quitman E. Phillips. "Tosa." In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, http://www.oxfordartonline.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/art/T085779pg3 (accessed May 8, 2012).
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