Santō Kyōden
Santō Kyōden was a notable Japanese wood-block print artist and author born in Edo in 1761. He was the eldest son of Iwase Nobuaki and began his artistic journey as an apprentice to the print artist Kitao Shigemasa. By his late teens, Kyōden gained recognition for his vibrant portrayals of life in the Yoshiwara, Tokyo's famous entertainment district, and his work reflected a unique blend of technique, composition, and color influenced by his mentor. While he initially focused on printmaking, he later transitioned to writing, achieving fame with his first significant literary work, "Edo mumare uwaki no kabayaki," which explored themes of vanity and disillusionment.
Kyōden's writing often centered around the pleasure quarters, a subject that led to his imprisonment for a period due to its controversial nature. Despite this setback, he continued to produce fiction, although he did not reach the same literary heights as some of his contemporaries. Personal life saw him marrying two women from the Yoshiwara, both of whom were described as excellent wives. Following his father's death, Kyōden took over the family business, finding success in creating handcrafted handbags adorned with his illustrations. He passed away in Edo in 1816, leaving behind a legacy in both printmaking and literature that reflects the complexities of urban life in his time.
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Subject Terms
Santō Kyōden
Japanese novelist and artist
- Born: 1761
- Birthplace: Edo (now Tokyo), Japan
- Died: 1816
- Place of death: Edo (now Tokyo), Japan
Biography
Santō Kyōden (sahn-toh kyoh-dehn) was born in Edo in 1761, the eldest son of Iwase Nobuaki, who was the adopted son of a pawnbroker in Edo. In 1773, his father left the pawnbroker’s family to strike out on his own, and later he became a minor city official. Kyōden was apprenticed to print artist Kitao Shigemasa; he also studied chanting and playing the samisen. As an artist’s apprentice he learned to paint well and became acquainted with writers of his day. By the time he was seventeen, he also knew the pleasure quarters of the city. As a wood-block print artist, he became famous in the last twenty years of the eighteenth century. He produced some excellent work, more or less in the manner of his instructor, Shigemasa, but showing flashes of individual technique, power, composition, and use of color. His favorite subjects were the residents of the Yoshiwara, essentially the entertainment or red-light district of Tokyo. Some of the most interesting artworks were the illustrations he did for his own writings. After about ten years, however, he seems to have become so busy with his writing that he gave up painting. Ky{omacr}den[Santo Kyoden]}{$S[A]Ky{omacr}den, Sant{omacr}[Kyoden, Santo];Sant{omacr} Ky{omacr}den} Ky{omacr}den[Santo Kyoden]} Ky{omacr}den[Santo Kyoden]}
Although he published at least one earlier work, Kyōden first won popular acclaim with Edo mumare uwaki no kabayaki (vanity and disillusionment). His first attempt to write a type of short story then current and dealing with the pleasure quarters was “Musuko beya” (1785; guide book to behavior in the pleasure quarters). This was a form in which he excelled, but in 1791 he was sentenced to house confinement in handcuffs for fifty days for this type of writing. From this time, Kyōden turned to the production of more legitimate fiction (in this realm, however, he was not quite the equal of his contemporary Kyokutei Bakin). Both of Kyōden’s wives were former residents of the Yoshiwara; much to everyone’s surprise, both proved to be excellent wives. After his father’s death in 1799, Kyōden succeeded to the family business as handbag merchant and had a modest success with handbags made of cloth or paper, decorated with his own illustrations. He also made and sold patent medicines. He died in Edo in 1816.
Bibliography
Aston, W. G. A History of Japanese Literature. 1899. Reprint. New York: Johnson Reprint, 1966. Includes a brief discussion of Santō Kyōden in the context of Japanese literature.
Devitt, Jane. “Santō Kyōden and the Yomihon.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 39, no. 2 (1979): 253-274. Discusses the life and the works of Santō Kyōden, including his central theme of the samurai class and its values.
Korniki, Peter F. “Nishiki no ura: An Instance of Censorship and the Structure of a Sharebon.” Monumenta Nipponica 32, no. 2 (1977): 153-188. Discusses the historical context of this work, the censorship of sharebon (comic books), and Kyōden’s success with the genre.