Kamisaka Sekka · 1866–1942
Kamisaka Sekka
Kamisaka Sekka was a modern painter and designer born in Kyoto. Rediscovering the decorative beauty of Rinpa, he worked across painting, crafts, and design and published design books such as Momoyogusa. In 2003 he drew renewed attention as a "modern Rinpa" artist.
Kamisaka Sekka was born in Kyoto in 1866 and died in 1942. A painter and designer, he became a pupil of Suzuki Zuihiko at 16 and learned the Shijo-school method, and later studied under the designer Kishi Mitsukage.
At the first New and Old Art Exhibition in 1895, in the design section, his "Design for a Ceramic Incense Burner Based on the Meaning of a Kokinshu Poem" received a second-class commendation. He published many design books, including Chikusa and Momoyogusa. In 1901 he went to Europe to inspect and research the Glasgow Exposition, and there he rediscovered the decorative beauty of Japan, including Rinpa.
In 1905 he became an instructor at the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts, and in 1913 he worked to help launch the Koetsu-kai, which honors the achievements of Hon'ami Koetsu. In 2003 he drew renewed attention as a "modern Rinpa" artist, and large retrospectives were held in Japan and the United States.
