孫・森谷香取による川端龍子の画業の紹介。
I, Moriya Katori, introduce my grandfather Kawabata Ryushi's
achievments in Japanese Painting.
Kawabata Ryushi is recognized as the genius in Modern Japanese Painting.
Kawabata Ryushi, Yokoyama Taikan and Kawai Gyokudou, the Three Huge Maestros,
held the Joint Exhibitons many times in their later years, and gave the great impression and popularity all over Japan.
Most of the image files within our site are reproduced from the Catalogue of the Ryushi Memorial Museum,
the Asahi Graph's "Kawabata Ryushi" published by the Asahi Newspaper Inc. and Katori's Personal
Photo Album.
Katori's portrait drawn by Ryushi is included.
川端龍子は、自らの作品を収蔵・展示するために、「龍子記念館」を自ら設計・建設した。
青龍社創立35周年記念として、昭和38年6月に開館した。昭和41年、龍子没後、社団法人青龍社（遺族）が維持管理にあたっていたが、平成3年1月1日、龍子記念館および作品94点等を大田区に寄贈し、現在は大田区立龍子記念館となっている。
(掲載の龍子の絵は、特記されていないものについては、全て大田区立龍子記念館所蔵である。)
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Kawabata Ryushi
Born June 6, 1885 Deceased Apr. 10,1966 Inaugurated the Seiryu-sha Pioneer of the Large-size
The Order of Culture Merit (1959)
文化勲章受賞（昭和34年）
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Kawabata Ryushi was born in 1885 in Wakayama City.
He showed his genius in his youth. While studying European painting
in Tokyo in his early twenties, he drew many illustrative works in several youth magazines.
In 1913 (28 years old), he went to the USA and was moved by the Oriental paintings in the Boston Museum; thereafter he decided to become a Japanese-style painter.
He inaugurated the "Seiryu-sha" School in 1929 ("Seiryu" means "Blue Dragon").
He was the first artist to draw a large-size Japanese-style painting on a flat canvas.
("Kaijyoh-Geijyutsu") After the 2nd world war, together with Yokoyama Taikan and
Kawai Gyokudoh, he became famous as the Three Big Figures in the field of Japanese-style
painting. He died in 1966, at the age of 81.
At the "NIHONGA Transcending the Past: Japanese-style Painting, 1868-1968"
Exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum in November 1995, Ryushi's
"Burning of the Golden Pavillion"
was appraised as the most attractive painting by the visiting guests
and critics in the USA.
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龍子記念館
Ohta-ku Municipal Address: Telephone:
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Ryushi Memorial Museum is located at Ohmori,Ohta-ku,Tokyo. The museum was built by the deceased maestro by himself in his old age. The original design of the museum was also accomplished by Ryushi himself, and the museum was presented to the local Ohta-ku government by his family after his death. The management and exhibiton is now performed by Ohta-ku officials. Most of all Ryushi's large works are in the possession of this museum now.
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香取（孫）の肖像
Katori's Portrait dressed-up in a Maiko-san Style (19cm x 27cm) in 1940's.
I, Moriya Katori, am the granddaughter of Kawabata Ryushi.
(My father is Ryushi's eldest son Kiyoshi.) In my childhood, I usually played in my
grandfather's large garden and his Atelier. |
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龍子画室
Ryushi's Atlier The wooden Atelier and his old residence, which stand just in front of the Museum, are still kept in good condition. Can be seen by making a reservation. |
Katori's favorite choice : |
「臥龍」 "Lying Dragon"
243cm x 485cm, 1945 |
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When Ryushi was born, in the early years of Meiji Era, a legal procedure prohibited him from being recognized as the son of his father Shinkichi and mother Sei. Therefore, Ryushi became to believe he was "the son of a Seadragon" (竜の落し子) by the time he entered an Elementary School. Achieving a great success, Ryushi literally became "the Son of a Dragon" (龍の子), English equivalent of pen-name "Ryushi".
Ryushi's guardian spirit was Fudoh-myo-oh. He liked to draw a painting of Fudoh, carrying the burning fire on his shoulder, with an angry face. The intent of Ryushi in drawing the "Namikiri-Fudoh" (Fudoh cutting the ocean waves) was that he earnestly desired the Japan-US conflict in 1930's should be ceased by the magic of his guardian spirit.
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「金閣炎上」, "Burning of the Golden Pavillion"
142cm x 239cm, 1950 東京国立近代美術館 (Tokyo National Modern Museum) |
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Kinkaku-ji Temple was burned in July 1950. Having a journalistic sense,
Ryushi drew the "Burning of the Golden Pavillion" in that year.
Ryushi always sat on the floor to draw paintings.
This work was appraised as the most attractive painting at the
"NIHONGA Transcending the Past: Japanese-style Painting, 1868-1968"
Exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum in November 1995.
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「愛染」 "Aizen"
足立美術館
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Aizen is one of the most brilliant and decorative works. Two mandarin ducks are swimming in circles on the surface of a pond covered all over with fallen red leaves. By scattering gold foil, the impression is very grand. "Aizen" originally means "Indulgence in Love"; however, here Ryushi symbolizes the love between a couple.
| 「源義経」（ｼﾞﾝｷﾞｽｶﾝ） "Minamotono Yoshitune"
(Jinghis Khan) 243cm x 728cm (1938) | |
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「波切不動」
"Namikiri-Fudoh" 342cm x 302cm, 1934 |
| 「炎庭想雪図」 "Imagining a Snow Garden on a Hot Day", 165cm x 740cm, 1935 | |
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Ryushi organized the Seiryu-sha School Exhibition (Seiryu-ten)
almost twice a year from 1929 to 1965 in Tokyo. In addition, he usually held his Personal
Exhibition in Osaka almost every year. The Seiryu-ten and Osaka Exhibitions are very popular
and attracted many art loving people from all over Japan. The entrance fee was usually free.
We can not but be astonished at the vital energy of his longtime painting works and organizing ability.
His success in drawing Japanese paintings on a large canvas was accepted as "Kaijyou-Geijyutu"
(Exhibition Art). He surely is the pioneer in propagating modern Japanese-style paininting,
breaking from the tradition of painting on scrolls to be hung in a Tokonoma (alcove).
| 「沼の饗宴」 "Feast in the Pond", 242cm x 729cm, 1950 | |
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| 「孫悟空」 "Son Gokyuu", 243cm x 728cm, 1962 | |
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| 「土」 "Mother Earth" 151cm x 137cm, 1919 |
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「夢」 "Dream"
159cm x 249cm, 1951 |
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| 「南飛図」 "Flying to South"
176cm x 176cm x 2, 1931 和歌山市立博物館 (Wakayma M.M.) | |
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Astonishing composition of "Fying to South" is another example of his geneous. Four pairs of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are drawn as if flying from the top to the bottom. A bird watcher's comment is that he can feel mallards' complexity of joy at the end of a long journey, as well as their horror being shot down by the hunters on the ground. Realism exhibited for the birds' vivid flying figures contrasted impressively against serenity of full moon in the sky.
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「四国遍路」 香園寺
"Kohonji Temple", 27cm x 24cm 村上三島記念館 |
龍子の紀行文と俳句
(自筆原文) |
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五鱗図 "Five Carps"
176cm x 170cm, 1939
山種美術館
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We must not forget to mention about the Maestro's huge paintings of Dragons drawn on
the surface of the ceilings of Temples in Tokyo after the war. The first one was drawn at
Meguro-Fudoh's Hondoh (Main Building). This was undoubtedly the masterpiece, but quite
regretably the painting was destroyed when Hondoh was burned down by accident in a fire.
The third and last one was started in January 1966 for the
Ikegami Honmon-ji Termple. But the Maestro was unfortunately on his sickbed from
February and could not continue to draw the remaining portion in a sitting position.
Today, when you get off at the Ikegami Station of the Ikegami Line (Tokyu Dentetsu),
you can reach Ikegami Honmon-ji within 10 minutes on foot. At Honden, you can probably
recognize the vague figure of the huge head of the Dragon, the genuinely very last touch of
the Maestro. He deceased on April 10 of that year.
The second one was drawn at Asakusa Sensou-ji Temple in 1956. By visiting Asakusa,
you can still worship his Huge Dragon by looking high up at the ceiling of the Hondoh.
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昭和34年文化勲章受賞
前列中央 川端龍子、その左小泉信三 |
浅草寺本堂天井画制作中の龍子
Ryushi drawing the Sensou-ji Dragon |
面映ゆく恩賜の菊花胸に佩ぶ 龍子
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「百子図」
"A Hundred Children" 172cm Dia., 1949 |
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龍子と孫たち（香取は中央弟を抱く）
Ryushi and grandchildren (1950) 左から 岡 年木、川端龍子、美波、香取、 文男、正人、那智夫、後に捷良、 昭和25年 |
中央が 香取と龍子
Katori and Ryushi in 1963 香取左が三女紀美子(龍子記念館々長)、 龍子の右が長女岡千草、 愛犬クマ 昭和38年 |
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三巨匠展、左から川合玉堂、川端龍子、横山大観
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３巨匠展_ 左から川合玉堂、川端龍子、横山大観
3人は晩年6年間にわたり、雪月花展で3度、 松竹梅展で3度、合作を競い合った。(昭和27年2月撮影) |
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「怒る富士」 "Fuji in Anger" 248cm x 188cm, 1944 |
「佳人好在」 "Wellbeing"
136cm x 115cm, 1925 京都国立近代美術館(Kyoto NMM) |
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| 「やすらい」 "Rest", 242cm x 728cm, 1958 | |
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「青龍社新年会」における龍子・家族および高弟たち
於龍子画室 昭和26年1月5日 |
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前列 左から二人目 岡信孝、川端香取、美波、龍子、
岡茜、川端正人、捷良、紀美子 中列 左から二人目 古野新生、一人おいて結城天童、二人おいて小畠鼎子、 山崎豊、安西啓明、岡左久良（山崎-安西の間） 後列 左から七番目川端清、加納三楽、二人おいて時田直善 |
Kawabata Bousha
日本画家・川端龍子の異母弟
高浜虚子は、花鳥諷詠詩を自ら実践したが、愛弟子の川端茅舎の上に、
その感動的な開花を見出し、「花鳥諷詠真骨頂漢」と絶賛したことで知られている。
Katori's Favorite Choice: 茅舎の句
ぜんまいの のの字ばかりの 寂光土
葱の花 ふと金色の 仏かな
法師蝉 しみじみ耳の うしろかな
龍子と茅舎の墓は、伊豆修善寺の山にある。
東京大田区散策のコースは、龍子記念館、龍子旧居・画室、茅舎旧居跡の碑、池上本門寺（龍子絶筆の天井画「龍」）
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