Colorful Dynamism of Edo Painter, Ekin
- Gen de Art
- 15 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 15 minutes ago
— Ieyasu Tokugawa
Those who have visited Kochi Prefecture may be familiar with the Ekin Museum (Ekingura) in the town of Akaoka. The museum is home to the collection of one of Japan’s most colorful Edo painters, Hirose Kinzo (1812-1876), better known as Ekin. The master, who was active from the late Edo to early Meiji period, is particularly acclaimed for his gorgeous, yet often ghastly depictions of scenes from Kabuki plays or shibai-e (theatrical paintings).
Over ninety of his folding screens, Ema lanterns, festival banners, picture scrolls, and paintings, as well as significant works of other artists linked to him, are on show at “Ekin: A Genius Painter from Tosa at the End of the Edo Period”at the Suntory Museum of Art. Running through November 3rd this year, the exhibition is the first large-scale showcase of Ekin’s masterpieces in fifty years.
Before Ekin’s name was associated with exquisite byobu folding screens, the young man studied art under respectable painters Yōsai Ikezoe and Tōwa Maemura of the Kano school. Later on, he was claimed to have faced charges for the forgery of Tan’yū Kanō’s works and was consequently dismissed from commissions as a patron of the Tosa aristocracy. Nevertheless, Ekin continued to polish his talents, working in his aunt’s warehouse. The refuge produced his signature folding screens at the end of the 19th century. An estimate of about 200 existing screens (including those by Ekin’s disciples) are mostly owned presently by shrines, village associations, and community centers in Kochi prefecture. Traditionally, in the evenings of the Suruda Hachimangū Shrine Festival, the streetlights are turned off and like the Tosa Akaoka Ekin Festival in July, the wonderful screens are paraded under the eaves of roofs of shops, illuminated solemnly by candlelight and lanterns. This custom has prevailed since the end of the Edo period as prayers for bountiful harvests and peace and tranquility.
A huge number of these spectacular screens (specifically those kept by four districts of Akaoka-chō in Kōnan City) are presented in the first section of the exhibition. They illustrate Kabuki scenes and Joruri (dramatic style of sung storytelling) stories, flowing in red, black, and green colors. The characters’ powerful facial expressions harmonize with the bold and dynamic line renderings, reflective of the Ukiyo-e style.
In the two-panel folding screen “The Disputed Succession of the Date Clan, in Okuni Kabuki: Kasane,” based on the Kabuki play “Meiboku Sendaihagi,” we see four main characters caught in a struggle. Kasane (center) is enraged with jealousy and attacks Utakata-hime (right) who pretends to be Kasane’s husband Yoemon’s (left) ex-wife. Kasane becomes a spirit killed for revenge with her face disfigured. Kingoro, the man behind with a towel covering his head, wishes to sell off Utakata-hime as a prostitute. The figures emit ghoulish appearances, quite typical of Ekin’s portrayals. Red and pale blue flames further create an eerie atmosphere.
Another folding screen, The Floating World's Pattern and Matching Lightning Bolts: Suzugamori Execution Ground, is based on the Kabuki play “Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma.” The fearful Chōbei Banzulin (right) arrives when Gonpachi Shirai (left) fights with many ruffian palanquin bearers. Chōbei’s persona is highlighted by distinctly protruding large eyes, while Gompachi provokes him with a teasing sideways look. This rather vicious scene shows blood splattered all over the ground and dead bodies, as well as on the lantern Chōbei is carrying. The three Kumosuke (unrecorded laborers in the Edo period) are seen with their heads and hands flying, including one who raises his hands toward the stone tower, as though imploring in pain. Ekin’s technique of delineating shadows on the faces with shades of brown and dotted pupils emphasizes the gory and uncanny mood of the painting. It has been designated as a Kochi Prefecture Tangible Cultural Property.
More trepid sensations are felt in “Hanagoromo Iroha History: Eagle,” which illustrates a haunting tale about Saemon and his lover Kogo, who tries to hide with their son Minosuke since Saemon is betrothed to someone else. A giant eagle dives toward them and swoops their child away. The couple, stricken with horror, chases after Minosuke. At the bottom left, another petrified couple with a child flees away from the eagle. Ekin describes episodes in townsfolk’s ordinary lives with tenderness but also tension and agitation at the same time.
Two rare hand scrolls are displayed, presenting customs, historical figures, and theatrical stories. A drawing album narrates the colossal earthquake that hit the Tosa province in Kochi in 1854.
The second section of the exhibition serves as the main highlight, magnified by life-size installations of folding screens in pedestals as found in the summer festivals in Kochi. The votive lanterns light up, filling the room with a splendid glow. Video clips demonstrate the actual festivities so that viewers can browse around and participate in a virtual experience of the town festivals.
A gallery of twenty-four Ema lanterns glimmer in the dark, recounting the play “The Kamagufuchi Double Tomoe,” with Goemon Ishikawa as the principal character, who was a real person during the rule of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. One lantern, “Kamagafuchi Double Tomoe, Tale of Ishikawa Goemon,” indicates Goemon sneaking into the room where his previous wife, Oritsu, sleeps while nursing her baby, Goroichi. Goemon sings and dances, and Goroichi wakes up, calling his mother. Oritsu rushes to them only to find them falling to their death in a boiling cauldron. The rupture of despair and agony is shivering.
Ekin’s picture and hanging scrolls, banners, and more folding screens spread throughout the third section. Horizontal banners are customarily hung around the gate walls and other areas on the first Boy's Day celebrated in Tosa. The subjects of the paintings revolve around warriors and theatrical performances. The elegant horizontal banner, “Yoshitsune and One Thousand Cherry Trees /The Color Prints of Kagamiyama” (shown until October 6, 2025), reveals five scenes: “The Shii Tree,” “The Vinegar Shop,” "Tsuruoka Hachiman,” "The Crow's Cry,” and "The Inner Garden.” Painted in 1857, each figure is executed in different angles, congruent to the dynamic roles enacted in the play. The final scene concludes with the middle-aged man Onoe committing suicide, and his servant warrior Ohatsu killing the lady-in-waiting Iwafuji in revenge. Once more, Ekin has succeeded in pouring out riveting emotions of bitterness, anguish, and grief in exhaustive detail.
Leaving the exhibition somehow drags a heavy weight of dreadfulness, brutality, and the grotesque; yet, Ekin’s vivid artistry and colorful dynamism absolutely revive the pulsating vibrancy of Edo life.
Details
Ekin: A Genius Painter from Tosa at the End of the Edo Period
Date: Until November 3, 2025
Location: Suntory Museum of Art
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 (Friday 10:00-20:00)
Closed on Tuesdays (Open on October 28 until 18:00)
Open on November 1 and 2 until 20:00
Written by Alma Reyes
