Hasegawa Tohaku

A painter of the Momoyama period. The founder of the Hasegawa school. Born in Nanao, Noto Province (Ishikawa Prefecture). His biological father was Okumura Bunnojo, a retainer of the Hatakeyama clan, lord of Nanao Castle, and his foster father was Hasegawa Munekiyo, a disciple of Toshun, and he worked in dyeing. His childhood name was Matashiro, and later Tatewaki. In his youth, he went by the name Nobuharu, and initially produced mainly Buddhist paintings in his native province, and a considerable number of his works remain in the Noto region today. In 1572 (Genki 3), he painted the "Portrait of Saint Nicho" at Honpoji Temple in Kyoto under the name Nobuharu, and it is believed that he had traveled to Kyoto before this. Soon after, he adopted the name Tohaku and occupied a unique position in the contemporary Chinese painting world. Around 1583 (Tensho 11), he painted the sliding doors of the guest halls of the various subtemples of Daitokuji, including Sogen-in, the funeral home of Oda Nobunaga, and in 1589, Sangen-in, as well as the ceiling and pillar paintings of the Sanmon Gate of Daitokuji. In 1593 (Bunroku 2), he led his followers in creating the sliding door paintings of Shounzenji Temple (now the sliding door paintings of Chishakuin Temple in Kyoto, a National Treasure), which was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to commemorate the death of his beloved son, Sutemaru. The gorgeous and extravagant work, with deep colors on a gold background, is counted among the masterpieces that represent the height of the Momoyama period. He later painted portraits such as "Portrait of Sen no Rikyu" (Omotesenke, Kyoto), "Portrait of Shun'oku Soen" (Sangen-in), and "Portrait of Nittsu Shonin" (Honpo-ji), as well as sliding door paintings for temples in Kyoto such as Rinka-in at Myoshin-ji, Shinjuan at Daitoku-ji, Konchi-in at Nanzen-ji, Tenjuan, and Zenrin-ji. In 1604 (Keicho 9), he was appointed Hokkyo, and the following year Hogen. On February 24, 1606, he died in Edo, where he had traveled in response to a summons from Tokugawa Ieyasu. His family temple was Kyogyo-in at Honpo-ji, and his posthumous name was Ganjo-in Tohaku Nimyo Koji.

As for his teachers, after he went to Kyoto, he is said to have studied under Kano Shoei, Soga Shosho, and Tohaku, but he eventually became devoted to Sesshu, and referred to himself as "the Five Generations of Sesshu." He further studied Song and Yuan ink painting, especially the Mokkei style, and gradually opened up his own unique world of painting. During Nobuharu's time, he mainly produced highly colorful paintings such as Buddhist paintings and portraits related to the Nichiren sect, of which he was a follower, but during Tohaku's time, with the exception of the sliding doors of Chishaku-in Temple, most of his works were ink paintings. In his later years, his style gradually hardened, and there are works that unnecessarily show off his brushwork, but his vigorous creative drive never changed throughout his life. In addition to the works mentioned above, his representative works include the "Pine Forest Screen" (National Treasure, Tokyo National Museum), which is considered one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of Japanese ink painting, the "Birds and Flowers Screen" (Myokaku-ji Temple, Okayama), "Monkey and Monkey on a Dead Tree" (Ryusen-an, Kyoto), and the "Monkey and Monkey in a Bamboo Grove Screen" (Shokoku-ji Temple, Kyoto).

In addition, "Tohaku Painting Theory," a record of Tohaku's stories by the priest Nittsu of Honpoji Temple, is valuable as the oldest full-scale art treatise in Japan. Tohaku had four known sons: Kyuzo, Sotaku, Sakon, and Soya. Although the eldest son Kyuzo died young, it is believed that he painted the masterpiece "Cherry Blossoms" on the sliding screens of Chishaku-in Temple, and he was the most talented painter among his brothers.

[Satoru Sakakibara]

"Japanese Art 87: Hasegawa Tohaku" edited by Doi Tsuguyoshi (1973, Shibundo) " "Japanese Art Painting Collection 10: Hasegawa Tohaku" by Nakajima Junji (1979, Shueisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

桃山時代の画家。長谷川派の祖。能登(のと)国（石川県）七尾(ななお)に生まれる。実父は七尾城主畠山(はたけやま)家の家臣・奥村文之丞、養父は等春(とうしゅん)門人・長谷川宗清で染色を業とした。幼名を又四郎、のち帯刀(たてわき)。若年期信春(しんしゅん)と号し、初めは生国で仏画を中心に制作、その作品が現在能登地方一帯に相当数残されている。1572年（元亀3）京都本法寺の『日堯上人(にちぎょうしょうにん)像』を信春の名で描いており、これ以前に上洛(じょうらく)していたものと思われる。のちまもなく等伯と号し、当代漢画壇に独自の地位を占めた。83年（天正11）ごろ織田信長の菩提(ぼだい)所・総見院、89年には三玄院など、大徳寺諸塔頭(たっちゅう)の客殿襖絵(ふすまえ)や、同じく大徳寺三門の天井画・柱絵を描いた。93年（文禄2）一門を率いて、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉が愛児棄丸(すてまる)の菩提を弔うために創建した祥雲禅寺(しょううんぜんじ)の障壁画（現京都・智積院(ちしゃくいん)障壁画、国宝）を制作。金地に濃彩を用いた絢爛(けんらん)豪華なその作品は、桃山盛期を代表する傑作の一つに数えられる。その後『千利休(せんのりきゅう)像』（京都・表千家蔵）や『春屋宗園(しゅんおくそうえん)像』（三玄院）、『日通上人像』（本法寺）などの肖像画、妙心寺隣華(りんげ)院、大徳寺真珠庵(あん)、南禅寺金地(こんち)院および天授庵、禅林寺など京洛諸寺院の襖絵を描いた。1604年（慶長9）法橋(ほっきょう)に、翌年法眼(ほうげん)に叙せられる。慶長(けいちょう)15年2月24日、徳川家康の召に応じて下向した江戸の地で客死。菩提寺は本法寺教行院、法名厳浄院等伯日妙居士(こじ)。

　絵の師については、上洛後、狩野松栄(かのうしょうえい)、曽我紹祥(そがしょうしょう)、等春などについたと伝えられるが、結局は雪舟へと傾倒し、自ら「自雪舟五代」を称した。さらに宋元(そうげん)水墨画、とくに牧谿(もっけい)様式を学んでしだいに独自の画境を開く。信春時代は、自らもその門徒であった日蓮(にちれん)宗関係の仏画や肖像画などの極彩色画が主であるが、等伯時代には、智積院襖絵などの例外を除いて水墨画がほとんどである。そして晩年にはしだいに画風を硬化させ、いたずらに筆力を誇示した作もみられるが、旺盛(おうせい)な制作意欲は終生変わることがなかった。代表作には、前掲以外に、わが国の水墨画史上最大の傑作の一つに数えられる『松林図屏風(びょうぶ)』（国宝、東京国立博物館）をはじめ『花鳥図屏風』（岡山・妙覚寺）、『枯木猿猴(こぼくえんこう)図』（京都・竜泉庵）、『竹林猿猴図屏風』（京都・相国寺）などがある。

　なお、本法寺の日通上人が等伯の話を筆録した『等伯画説』は、わが国最古の本格的画論書として貴重である。等伯の子には、久蔵(きゅうぞう)、宗宅(そうたく)、左近(さこん)、宗也(そうや)の4子が知られ、長男久蔵は夭折(ようせつ)したが、名作智積院襖絵のうち『桜図』が彼の筆と推定されており、兄弟のうちでもっとも優れた画人であった。

［榊原　悟］

『土居次義編『日本の美術87　長谷川等伯』（1973・至文堂）』▽『中島純司著『日本美術絵画全集10　長谷川等伯』（1979・集英社）』

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