Gyoshū Hayami

Who was Gyoshū Hayami?

Gyoshū Hayami was the pseudonym of a Japanese painter in the Nihonga style, active during the Taishō and Shōwa eras. His real name was Eiichi Maita.

Gyoshū was born in the plebeian downtown district of Asakusa in Tokyo. He studied traditional painting techniques as an apprentice to Matsumoto Fuko from the age of 15. When he was 17, his talent was recognized by Imamura Shikō, who invited him to join the Kojikai circle of leading young artists.

With the revival of the Japan Fine Arts Academy, Gyoshū became a founding member. He worked in many schools of painting, including Yamato-e, Rimpa and Bunjinga, with his style evolving gradually towards a detailed realism influenced also by his studies of Chinese paintings from the Sung dynasty and the Yuan dynasty. His later works evolved further towards Symbolism.

In 1914, Gyoshū formed a group called Sekiyokai to study new styles of Japanese painting. He had a leg amputated after being hit by a train in 1919, but the incident did not affect his artistic output. He devoted himself to creation, submitting numerous works to the Inten Exhibition, as well as touring Europe in 1930. His flower and bird drawings in India ink painting style and his portraits were especially well received by art critics.