The Uninhibited Brush, Japanese Art in the Shijo Style
1974, the first, limited edition of Jack Hillier's study
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First edition, limited to 1000 copies, this one unnumbered. Hardback, bound in tan cloth with gilt titling to spine. 30 × 24.5cm, xxvii + 378pp
One of the definitive Western studies on the Maruyama-Shijo school of Japanese painting and woodblock-printed illustrated books. Hillier set out to elevate the critical appreciation of the Shijo school, which had long been overshadowed in Western scholarship by Ukiyo-e (floating world prints) and earlier classical traditions like Kano or Rinpa. The monograph traces the movement's evolution from its late 18th-century roots in Kyoto through its heyday in the 19th-century.
The Shijo Style (Shijo-ha) was founded by Matsumura Goshun (1752–1811), the style merged the naturalistic, Western-influenced observation of Maruyama Okyo with the expressive, poetic brushwork of the Nanga (literati) tradition. It captured rural landscapes, flora, fauna, and everyday human life with lyrical spontaneity and deceptive simplicity. This book has detailed coverage on ehon (block-printed books and albums) and demonstrates how woodblock carvers and printers miraculously preserved the loose, wet-brush washes and painterly nuance of original Shijo brushwork in printed form.
Artists studied, in addition to Goshun, include Matsumura Keibun, Oda Kisen, Chinnen, and Yamaguchi Soken. The book is illustrated with over 280 illustrations (including tipped-in colour plates).
Condition
A good copy. The weight of the pages have put some stress on the joints but these remain firmly attached and well-bound. There is some marking and fading to the cloth boards but the contents are clean and remain in strong readable condition.
ISBN
0902717065
As of July 2026, books remain duty-free. The price of the book incurs no extra US import fees.
Price
£40.00
