A World of Edo Art
Suzuki Kiitsu (1796–1858) came from a family of dyers and was adopted into the family of one of Sakai Hōitsu's students. Kiitsu began to study under Hōitsu in 1813 and served him until his death in 1828. After Hōitsu's death, Kiitsu gradually broke away from his mentor's style to develop his own, simplifying and abbreviating natural phenomena. While his predecessors followed a rather formalized style, Kiitsu created tension in his works by contrasting naturalistic depictions with bold, graphic compositions. Kiitsu trained his son and other students to continue the legacy of the Rinpa style championed by Hōitsu.
