Page:The Spirit of Japanese Art, by Yone Noguchi; 1915.djvu/18

Rh present book as the last great master of the Kano school; but I cannot help thinking about Hogai Kano, Gaho's spiritual brother, who passed away almost in starvation.

Indeed, Hogai's whole life of sixty years was a life of hardship and hunger; when he reached manhood, the whole country of Japan began to be disturbed under the name of the Grand Restoration. In those days, the safety of one's life was not assured; how then could art claim the general protection? All the artists threw away their drawing-brushes. Hogai tried to get his living by selling baskets and brooms; his wife, it is said, helped him by weaving at night; their lives were hard almost without comparison. Following the advice of a certain Mr. Fujishima, Hogai drew pictures and gave them to a dealer at Hikage Cho, Tokyo, to be sold. After three long years, he found that only one picture had been sold, and so he gave the rest of them, more than fifty, to Mr. Fujishima, who, by turns, gave them away to his friends. And those pictures which were given freely by Mr. Fujishima are now their owners' greatest treasures. Thus is the irony of life exemplified. It was thought by Hogai a piece of good fortune when he was engaged by Professor Fenellosa for twelve yen a month; this American critic's eye discerned Hogai's unusual ability. It is almost unbelievable to-day that such a small sum should have been acceptable;