Shotaro Koyama

Background

Shotaro Koyama was born in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. He was the eldest son of Yoshimoto Koyama, who is the big uncle of Ayano Koyama.

Education

In 1871, Shotaro Koyama moved to Tokyo, and studied Western-style painting from Togai Kawakami at his private art school and from a French artist.

Career

In 1874, Shotaro Koyama became a drawing master at the Army Officer Training Academy. When the Technical Art School (Kobu Bijutsu Gakko) was founded as the first government-established art school in 1876, he resigned from the mastership and entered it. The following year, Shotaro became an assistant teacher at the school and studied under Antonio Fontanesi, a professor at the school and a painter invited from Italy. However, when Fontanesi went back to his own country due to illness, Koyama was dissatisfied with his successor and resigned from the school. Shotaro Koyama was appointed as a professor at Tokyo Higher Normal School and judge of Imperial Art Institute's exhibitions.

Achievements

• Shotaro Koyama participated in the foundation of the Meiji Fine Arts Society (Maiji Bijutsu-kai) which was the first Western art group in Japan and resisted the tendency to reject Western art which characterized Ernest Fenollosa, Tenshin Okakura, and others.
  
  In 1884, Shotaro Koyama founded the Juichi-kai (Society of Eleven) with 11 other associates. He established the private art school, Fudosha, in 1887, and dealt with developing guidance. In this school he taught painting to many of his admirers. Among his several disciples were such distinguished painters as Fusetsu Nakamura, Kunishiro Mitsuya and Hoan (Misei) Kosugi, around which was composed the so-called Pacific Painting Group.
  
  The main role of Koyama is that he has established a foundation for the flourishing of Western art and particularly an aspect of its education.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • painting

  • Peonies

    1887

  • painting

  • painting

    1894

  • Quenching Thirst with Raw Sake at a Shop in the Autumn Countryside

    1889

  • painting

Connections

Father:

Yoshimoto Koyama

Yoshimoto Koyama was a doctor from the medicine clan of Nagaoka Clan.

nephew:

Ayano Koyama

Ayano Koyama was a critic of Japanese classical performing arts.

Brother:

Yoshiro Koyama

Shotaro Koyama had two younger brothers who advanced to professional soldiers. Yoshiro Koyama was a Major of Navy.

Brother:

Aki Koyama

Aki Koyama was an Army Colonel.

teacher:

Togai Kawakami

Togai Kawakami was a Western-style painter who has a private school in Tokyo.

colleague:

Antonio Fontanesi

Antonio was an Italian painter who lived in Meiji period Japan between 1876 and 1878. He introduced European oil painting techniques to Japan, and exerted a significant role in the development of modern Japanese yōga (Western style) painting. He is known for his works in the romantic style of the French Barbizon school.

disciple:

Nakamura Fusetsu

Nakamura was a Japanese painter in the "Western" Yoga style of the Meiji, Taisho period and early Showa period.

disciple:

Kosugi Hoan

Kosugi Hoan was a Japanese painter of the western style Yoga.

disciple:

Kunishiro Mitsutani

Kunishiro Mitsutani was born in 1874 in Okayama Prefecture. He was a Japanese watercolor painter.

disciple:

Hachiro Nakagawa

Hachiro Nakagawa was a Japanese painter of landscapes.

disciple:

Kanokoji Takeshiro