KAWANABE Kyosai / 河鍋暁斎

Kano paiter, printmaker, illustrator. Born in Shimosa province, son of a samurai. Studied as a child under Utagawa Kuniyoshi; then in Tokyo under Maemura Towa and, late, Kano Tohaku, Chinshin, who gave him the name of Toiku, when he was 19, and was admitted to the Kano house. Separated from the school at 27, becoming an independent paiter in Tokyo. Loved sake (it is shown by his go Shuransai). Exhibited at the Vienna International Exposition in 1873 and at that in Paris in 1883. His distinguished painting, largery in late-Kano manne, includes some exellent bird studies and in often marked by the wild, eccentric humour. Also made a few prints, many of which are of ravens, in a bold simple style and caricatures full of fantasy and invention. He illustrated books include Kyosai Gaden, Kyosai Gafu and Kyosai Manga.

 Roberts, Laurance, P. "A Dictionary of Japanese Artists", John Weatherhill Inc., New York, 1980, p.100