Miyagawa Chōshun (Japanese:宮川 長春; 1683 – 18 December 1753) was a Japanese painter in theukiyo-e style. Founder of the Miyagawa school, he and his pupils are among the few ukiyo-e artists to have never createdwoodblock prints. He was born in Miyagawa, inOwari Province, but lived much of his later life inEdo, where he died.
Chōshun trained under artists of theTosa andKanō schools, as well as under the master of early ukiyo-e,Hishikawa Moronobu. These influences are evident in his works, along with those of theKaigetsudō school, but ultimately Chōshun, as the founder of a new school of painting, has a unique style all his own. His figures have a soft, warm femininity about them, andRichard Lane considers his coloring among the best in all of ukiyo-e art.[1] His works are almost exclusively of courtesans, and in his works these figures are fuller, and more voluptuous than those of many other artists, in particular those of the somewhat later artistHarunobu. Though many of his pieces are clean ones of courtesans, Chōshun and his students also produced a great number of works ofshunga (erotic paintings).
Miyagawa Chōshun had a number of pupils, including his sonShunsui, Chōki (who may have also been his son), andIsshō.
In 1751, a few years before his death, Chōshun was commissioned by an artist of the Kanō school to perform some restoration work at theNikkō Tōshō-gū. When Chōshun was not paid for his work, an altercation erupted which ended in the death of the Kanō artist at the hands of Chōshun's son. As a result, Chōshun was banished from Edo for a year.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
