In the collection, two hanging scrolls by Fukuda Kodojin, while composed almost identically, reveal dramatically different expressive intentions through brushwork, ink handling, and spatial rhythm. They offer a rare glimpse into Kodōjin’s evolving approach to literati painting, and his subtle negotiation between disciplined restraint and spontaneous expression. This second scroll, while depicting the same setting as the previous. bamboo by a thatched hut beneath towering peaks, abandons the earlier precision for a freer, almost storm like, vigor. The ink is wetter and heavier; mountain ridges are built from rapid, layered sweeps that dissolve into vapor. The bamboo is brushed with looser energy, the leaves scattering rhythmically like rain-driven grass. The scholar’s hut, though still present, seems a poignant symbol of transcendence from formal restraint. Here Kodojin’s hand reveals not the calm scholar but the visionary poet: nature is no longer a liquid, flowing presence. The outlines blur into spirit; the brush no longer records what is seen, but what is felt. Ink on paper in a cloth border with bone rollers enclosed in an old wooden box, the scroll is 19-1/2 x 81 inches (49.5 x 206 cm) and in overall excellent condition.
It is as though Kodojin is demonstrating in visual form the very ideal expressed in many of his poems: that mastery of form ultimately leads to freedom from form. In literati terms, the first work is a painting of li (principle), the second of qi (vital energy). One stands within the tradition; the other dissolves into it. Together they form a profound dialogue between the classical and the modern, intellect and spirit — an artistic summation of Kodōjin’s lifelong cultivation of both brush and being.
Fukuda Kodojin (1865-1944) was an eccentric self-taught artist, his status as a poet, calligrapher and literati artist has reached legendary status. Born at a time of great change (4 years before the final fall of the Edo Government), he lived through the westernization of Meiji, Taisho Democracy, the rise of Imperialism and final defeat of the Showa eras. He was part of a small group of artists existing outside conventional circles in pre-war Japan. He moved to a village outside of Kyoto in 1901, where he supported himself and his family by privately tutoring those who wished to learn Chinese-style poetry. Kodojin was simply a scholar. His poetry, painting, and calligraphy all stem from a life-long cultivation of the mind. He was said to have taken the time just before his death to destroy the large portion of his own remaining work, leaving only that which must have met some personal criteria. Kodōjin’s paintings and calligraphy survive mainly in private collections, but significant works can be found in the collections of the British Museum, Freer Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, Honolulu Museum of Art, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museo Kaluz, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Tanabe City Museum of Art and Wakayama Prefectural Museum of Art among others including such well known Private collections as the Cowles Collection, Hakutakuan Collection, Manyoan Collection and Welch Collection. Twenty five paintings by the artist formed a private exhibition (from the Gitter-Yelen collection) at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2000. In recent years, exhibitions such as The Last Master of the Literati Tradition: Fukuda Kodojin (Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2023) have brought renewed attention to his achievement. For more on his life see the book Old Taoist, or Unexplored Avenues of Japanese Painting.
