Ogata Gekko - Assassin

Ogata Gekkō (1859–1920)

Publisher: Sasaki Toyokichi
Size: Oban
Date : 1892
Genre: Ukiyo-e
Medium: Woodblock Print

From the series "Flower Gardens of Japan". An assassin is waiting for the feudal lord, Ii Naosuke (the lord of Hikone and Tairo, Great Councillor, of the Tokugawa Shogunate), and his procession coming out from the Sakurada-mon Gate of Chiyoda Castle. Ii Naosuke was the man responsible for opening Japan to the West, for which he was assassinated at the Sakurada-mon on a snowy morning in March, 1860.

Ogata Gekkō (1859–1920) was a prominent Japanese painter, illustrator, and woodblock print designer of the Meiji period. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo), Gekkō was largely self-taught, beginning his career decorating ceramics and rickshaws and producing commercial illustrations. Around 1881, he adopted the surname Ogata, reportedly at the suggestion of a descendant of the celebrated painter Ogata Kōrin, and soon established himself as a successful designer of prints, books, and newspaper illustrations.

Gekkō worked during a period of rapid modernization and developed a distinctive style that combined traditional Japanese painting with the changing visual culture of Meiji Japan. His subjects ranged from historical and literary scenes to contemporary events, landscapes, beautiful women, and Japan's military conflicts. His prints are particularly recognizable for their painterly quality, subtle modeling, and softer linework, distinguishing them from the more conventional Utagawa-school style of many of his contemporaries.

Gekkō achieved considerable recognition during his lifetime, exhibiting both in Japan and internationally, including at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Active in important artistic organizations of the period, he worked across painting, illustration, and printmaking until his death in 1920. His work today provides an important bridge between the traditions of nineteenth-century ukiyo-e and the emerging modern Japanese art movements of the early twentieth century.

Condition: Very good condition, backing remnants.