ARTIST : Miwa Chosei (1901-1983) was born in Niigata Prefecture, and went on to study and live in Kyoto. He graduated from the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting where he studied with Domoto Insho. He exhibited regularly with the Teiten from 1927, and became a judge of the Nitten organization in 1951. He later went on to become an executive of the group. He was also a member of the Geijutsuin or Imperial Art Academy.
AGE : Early Showa era, circa 1935
SIZE : The screen measures 74 inches across and stands 29 inches high.
DESCRIPTION : This is a furosaki or tea ceremony screen by the noted artist Miwa Chosei, dating to the early Showa period. Pictured in isolation Mount Daimonji sweeps across the lower portion of the screen. An icon in Kyoto, ever present in the Eastern foothills, Daimonji is at the heart of the Obon festival that has been celebrated for over 500 years. The huge Chinese character, which can be seen clearly on the mountain reads `Dai` and it is set alight each year to guide the spirits of the deceased back to heaven. Ink has been puddled with water on the textured paper to create a heavily atmospheric scene showing smoke billowing from the fire and cloaking the mountain. The irregularly reflective silver surface of the washi paper further increases the drama of the scene. The silver is a mica based compound, which has been applied evenly over the paper. The paper has then been crumpled by hand before being mounted on the screen`s frame.
TECHNIQUE : Ink and mica on paper
CONDITION : The screen has recently been re-backed and the paper hinge has been replaced. The odd water mark is visible, as are scratch marks along the lower three inches – neither fact detracts from the screens beauty or purpose. It may even be that the scratches are original to the screen and implemented by the artist himself.
