An Autobiographical Essay by a Researcher Who Rediscovered Jakuchu
This autobiographical essay is by Tsuji Tsuneo (b. 1932), a leading authority on Japanese art history who rediscovered the mid-Edo period artist Ito Jakuchu as a "painter of eccentric ideas" and ushered in a new wave of interest in Jakuchu.
It chronicles his childhood during the war, his encounter with Jakuchu, the publication of "The Genealogy of Eccentric Ideas" in 1970, and the rise of Japanese art to this day. Based on a manuscript serialized in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's "My Resume" column, this volume also includes letters addressed to Tsuji from prominent figures in the art world, including Takashi Murakami and Yuji Yamashita. This book offers a glimpse into the perspective and thinking of Tsuji, who completely overturned conventional art history and earned a reputation as an "eccentric" for his innovative perspective on art history, while also having a profound impact on those who came after him.
