Paper short abstract:

Participation in various arts was popular in the late Edo period. Cultural networks contributed to the flourish of art production. Focusing on late 18th to early 19th century Kyoto/Osaka, I will examine the role of art in society and how it encouraged 'amateur' and 'professional' artists.

Paper long abstract:

It is an intriguing phenomenon that quite a few individuals in the Kyoto/Osaka area in the late Edo period, who are known today as 'painters', actually had a main vocation other than being an artist. In many cases especially in Osaka they were relatively wealthy merchants. What did it mean for commoners at the time of domestic peace and under a rigid class system imposed by the Tokugawa government to take up art not so much as a profession but as a socialising tool and lifelong pursuit? Painting was not an isolated art but closely related with other genres of art including literary, musical, theatrical and scholarly activities. Participating in art therefore meant to be part of a vast cultural and social network.

In the Japanese collections at the British Museum is a substantial number of Maruyama-Shijo and Osaka school paintings, surimono prints and illustrated books, which reflect not only the major masters' creativity but also that of minor figures. Collating information of individuals and groups who produced these works will contribute to understanding a complex and sophisticated system of participation in and access to art in the immediate geographical area and beyond. To examine its extent will shed light on the role of art in society in early modern Japan.