Jihei Sugimura

Years of birth and death unknown. Edo ukiyo-e artist. In early ukiyo-e woodblock prints, he is considered an important artist on a par with Hishikawa Moronobu. In recent years, his reputation has rapidly increased as many of the joruri-e and genre paintings that were previously assumed to be Moronobu's were actually Jihei's. He was the nephew of Kudayu, the foster father of Ako roshi Muramatsu Kihei, and his given name was Masataka and Harunobu. Jihei was his nickname. He lived in Toriaburachō. He began painting slightly later than Moronobu, and was active for about 20 years from around 1680 (Enpō 8). He was a master of the art of joruri-e and genre painting, as well as shunga sets, erotic books, picture books, and ukiyo-zoshi. His works are full of life and movement, depicting voluptuous women in undulating lines and using only ink. Few of his works are signed, but he often includes hidden seals in his paintings. He has almost no original paintings. His representative works include "Yusho Bijin," "Takayasu-ga-yoi," "Joruri Jyūdan-zoshi: Soto no Kangen no Dan," and the picture book "Yamato Furyu Ekagami" (1684).

[Hidetake Asano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年未詳。江戸の浮世絵師。初期浮世絵版画において、菱川師宣(ひしかわもろのぶ)と並称される重要絵師。従来、師宣画と推定されていた浄瑠璃絵(じょうるりえ)や風俗画の多くは治兵衛画とすべきであることがわかり、近年評価が急速に高まった。赤穂(あこう)浪士村松喜兵衛の養父九太夫の甥(おい)で、名は正高、治信(はるのぶ)。治兵衛は俗称。通油町(とおりあぶらちょう)に住む。師宣よりやや遅れて作画を始め、1680年（延宝8）ごろから約20年間活躍。浄瑠璃絵、風俗画を中心とする一枚絵、春画組物、艶本(えんぽん)、絵本、浮世草子などに雄筆を振るう。うねるような描線で、丸みのある肉感的な女性を墨一色で描出、生動感あふれる作品が多い。署名のある作品は少ないが、画中にしばしば隠し落款を入れるのを特色とする。肉筆画はほとんどない。代表作に『遊歩美人』『高安通(たかやすがよ)い』『浄瑠璃十二段草子・外の管絃(かんげん)の段』、絵本『大和風流絵鑑(やまとふうりゅうえかがみ)』（1684）などがある。

［浅野秀剛］

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