In Japan during the Tokugawa period, art was highly regarded. The nobility and the rich in particular were proud of their collections and supported artists they considered particularly talented. Sakai Hōitsu himself came from a noble family. He was a prudent, religious man, cautious and inspired by the beauty of nature. As an artist, he was initially unable to settle on a style. Instead, he learned to paint from a few different teachers and showed talent for different genres.
Sakai devoted his entire life to art. Through his dedication to painting, he was accepted to the Kanō School in Kyoto, which was a real honor in 18th century Japan. Only the most talented artists managed to be accepted by these prestigious teachers. The teachers of this school were all from the long lineage of the Kanō family. Their work and institution had shaped the art of the country for centuries, and hardly any aspiring artist could avoid being trained here. Sakai learned the typical Kanō style, which mostly depicted motifs from nature and Japanese mythology in delicate compositions. But Sakai's education did not end at the renowned school. The style of painting he had learned there, while complex and aesthetic, was also increasingly considered old-fashioned. The Kanō family had long dominated the art world in Japan, but by Sakai's time a change was emerging. The social structures of the country were changing, and with them artistic norms. The new middle and upper classes, who had become wealthy through trade, aspired to and could afford art. A certain degree of permissiveness and hedonism spread through Japanese culture. This trend was captured by the ukiyo-e style, which, in contrast to the Kanō style, focused more on human, urban life. Sakai learned this genre, but did not stick with it for long. Perhaps it was his religious convictions, or simple displeasure, that eventually led him to turn back to more traditional motifs. He studied under two more masters until he finally pursued his true inspiration: The Rinpa style, which had been out of fashion for a while but deeply fascinated Sakai.
Sakai spent the later years of his life as a Buddhist monk. He lived in seclusion in a monastery, where he closely studied the Rinpa style. He was particularly taken with the works of Ogata Korin, an artist born almost a hundred years before him. Ogata was considered the most elegant painter of the Rinpa school. His scenes of nature were at once realistic and also abstractions, which came together as design elements to form beautiful compositions. Sakai imitated his style and made some replicas of Ogata's most famous works. In doing so, he succeeded in bringing the Rinpa School back into the public consciousness and inspiring young artists to follow suit.
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-83861).jpg "Persimmon on Tree by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-896850).jpg "Iris and Mandarin Ducks by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Two Egrets and Lotus by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Two-panel Folding Screen Depicting Cranes by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Snow, Moon and Flowers by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Pink and White Flowers and Straw Coverings, Edo Period, 1761-1828 by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Drooping Cherry Branches in Blossom, Edo period, mid 18th-early 19th century by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "The Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals Sanjurokkasen by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Hanging Scroll Depicting Cherry Blossoms, from A Triptych of the Three Seasons by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643925).jpg "Pheasant and a Flowering Branch by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Irises and Eight-Fold Bridge by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1532181).jpg "Fans and Stream, Edo Period, c.1820 by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Moon and Autumn Plants, Edo period, early 19th century by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Summer and autumn flower plants. Part of the pair of two-fold screens by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Sparrow and Bamboo by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Chrysanthemums by the Water by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Hanging Scroll Depicting The Autumnal Moon, from A Triptych of the Three Seasons by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Irises and Eight-Fold Bridge, two-panel folding screen, c.1820 by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Flowering Gourd Vine, Rinpa School, Signature and Seal of Sakai Hoitsu by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-290223).jpg "Fan with Maple Design by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Paulownias and Chrysanthemums by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Bush Warbler in a Plum Tree by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Summer and Autumn Flower Plants by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-184371).jpg "Thirty-Six Poets, Edo Period by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1645701).jpg "Autumn Grasses, early 19th century by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Cherry Blossoms by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1448477).jpg "Lady Ise At A Waterfall by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Hanging Scroll Depicting A Snow Clad Pine, from A Triptych of the Three Seasons, Japanese by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Activities of the Twelve Months Tsukinami-e by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "White-Robed Kannon, 1823 by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Paulownias and Chrysanthemums, two-fold screen by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Paulownias and Chrysanthemums by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1033857).jpg "Hawk on Plants by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Maple Branch in Spring by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Chrysanthemums by the Water by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Scroll Paintings by Sakai Hoitsu")
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.jpg "Fans and Stream by Sakai Hoitsu")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1643924).jpg "Triptych: Bamboo, Pine and Plum by Sakai Hoitsu")
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