Goyo Hashiguchi (1880-1921)

Goyō Hashiguchi was born Hashiguchi Kiyoshi in Kagoshima Prefecture and began his artistic journey under the influence of his father, Hashiguchi Kanemizu, a samurai and amateur painter. Initially adopting the name Goyō due to his admiration for the five-needle pine in his father's garden, he developed his skills at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, emerging as the top graduate in 1905. His career flourished with his first commission for Natsume Sōseki's novel "I Am a Cat" in 1905, followed by notable collaborations with prominent authors such as Futabatei Shimei and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.

Hashiguchi's transition to the forefront of the shin-hanga movement was marked by his seminal work "Bathing" (Yuami) in 1915, published by Shōzaburō Watanabe. Although he suffered from health challenges during this time, he persisted in producing thirteen more prints over the next few years, including landscapes, nature prints, and exquisite portrayals of women. Despite his untimely death from meningitis at the age of 41 in 1921, his legacy endured through posthumous publications supervised by his brother and nephew. Today, Goyō Hashiguchi's prints remain highly coveted, epitomising the pinnacle of shin-hanga craftsmanship and artistic expression.

Portrait of the artist Goyo Hashiguchi