Arai Yoshimune

Japanese painter and draughtsman (1863–1941)

In this Japanese name, the surname is  Arai.

Arai Yoshimune (新井芳宗, 1863-1941) was a Japanese woodblock illustrator and print designer of the shin-hanga movement.[1] Much of his work was published by Hasegawa or Nishinomiya.[2]

## Family background

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Arai Yoshimune was a name he adopted for himself in adulthood. He was the youngest son of the ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Yoshimune I, and after his father's death in 1880 he assumed the name Utagawa Yoshimune II.[2] He was also known by the names Ichimatsusai and Matsusai.[3] Previously, in 1875, he had become a disciple of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and taken the name Tosetsu.[4][5]: 13

## Work

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In 1882, together with Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, he joined the staff of the Illustrated Free Newspaper, and later drew many illustrations for newspapers and magazines.[6][5]: 13 In 1886 he created an illustration for the story "The Normanton incident" for Kaishin Shimbun. In 1887, he produced a nishiki-e print of the Satsuma Rebellion.[4] From 1893, he operated a shop called Gahakudo for a time, which he later handed over to his fellow disciple Matsui Eikichi. He later worked on woodblock prints and crepe books intended for foreign markets published by Hasegawa Takejirō and his second son Nishinomiya Yosaku, illustrating night scenes and beautiful women.[7]

Arai Yoshimune was noted for his technique in depicting the effect of light at night or on water.[5]: 13

## References

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1. ^ Walker, Lee Jay. "Japan art and Yoshimune Arai: The Moon". moderntokyotimes.cim. Modern Tokyo Times. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
2. ^ a b "Yoshimune, Arai". moonlitseaprints.com. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
3. ^ "新井芳宗・ニ代（あらい・よしむね）" (PDF). 近代版画家名覧（1900-1945）. 版画堂. p. 63\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
4. ^ a b "歌川芳宗(2代) うたがわ-よしむね", デジタル版 日本人名大辞典+Plus, 講談社, 2015
5. ^ a b c Swale, Alistair (2023). A Cultural History of Late Meiji Japan Empire and Decadence. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 9783031436468. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
6. ^ 野崎左文 (2007). 増補私の見た明治文壇１. 平凡社. pp. 80p.
7. ^ "文明開化期のちりめん本と浮世絵". 学校法人京都外国語大学創立60周年記念稀覯書展示会. 京都外国語大学. 2007. Archived from the original on 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2022-02-07.

## External links

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* images of works by Arai Yoshimune