Inoue Yasuji (井上安治)
Inoue Yasuji (井上安治; 1864 - September 14, 1889), also written 安次, also often known as Inoue Tankei (探景), was a woodblock ukiyo-e artist of the Meiji era. A promising artist, he left behind a celebrated corpus despite his relatively short life. Inoue was born in Asakusa, Edo (Tokyo) and was frequently sick in childhood, finding solace in painting. He quickly developed artistic skill and briefly apprenticed under Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年; 1839 - 1892) before becoming the main disciple of Kobayashi Kiyochika (小林清親; 1847 - 1915), who is often considered the last master of the art of ukiyo-e. Beginning around 1880, Inoue began producing proper ukiyo-e prints with Kiyochika's imprimatur, earning wide acclaim. Most of his works deal with Tokyo, including the series 'Views of Famous Places in Tokyo' (東京名所絵), and many specifically with his home neighborhood of Asakusa, but he also prepared drawings of popular subjects like sumo wrestlers and illustrations for comic popular novels. His style is categorized as kōsenga (光線画), a technique pioneered by Kiyochika defined by subdued color, the use of white space, and eschewing the traditional thick black outlines of ukiyo-e. Inoue's promising career was cut short when he died of disease at age 26, depriving Japan of Kiyochika's successor who, had he survived, probably would have been remembered as the last ukiyo-e master.
AKA: 井上安治
Meeting of Ancient and Modern in Meiji-Era Tokyo.
淺艸觀世音境内細圖 兩國橋及淺草橋眞圖 / [Detailed View of the Grounds of Asakusa Kannon Temple / Accurate View of Ryōgoku Bridge and Asakusa Bridge].
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This is an 1887 bifurcated ukiyo-e triptych view of the Sensō-ji in Asakusa and the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Tokyo by Inoue Yasuji. Juxtaposing Tokyo's oldest temple alongside novelties like factories and mass transit, the view captures the spirit of the early Meiji era, when Tokyo was transformed into a modern city. (more details)