Morita Tsunetomo
Morita Tsunetomo was a Japanese painter in the yōga style; known primarily for landscapes.Life and work
At the age of 23, after a private education, he began his studies at the, the precursor of today's Geidai. His teachers there were Koyama Shōtarō and Nakamura Fusetsu. In 1907, one of his paintings was accepted for the of the Ministry of Culture. Together with Ishii Hakutei and Yamamoto Kanae, he published an art journal called Hōsun.
In 1914, he visited Paris and Brittany, where he came under the influence of modern French art; especially Paul Cézanne, before being compelled to return to Japan at the outbreak of World War I. In 1916, he joined the yōga department of Nihon Bijutsuin. He was one of the founders of the artists' group, "Shunyōkai" in 1922. He became Director of the Western Painting Department at the new Imperial Art Academy in 1929.
Until he was fifty-one, he devoted himself exclusively to landscapes. During his last two years, he did ink drawings in a modified nihonga style.
He also wrote under the pseudonym "Heiya". His works include an anthology of essays and a book of art instruction, both published in 1934. The following year, published a book of Morita's art commentaries.
