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Works submitted to the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904 (upper row) and the Domestic Works Exhibition of 1903 (lower row); Hosai II was about 32 years old
Hosai II in his 40s |
Hosai II (1872-1934), was born
Sadakichi, in Tochigi as the first son of Hosai I.
Early on, other bamboo artists honored him as "Master"
In 1902, Hosai II inherited the name Kikuji from Hosai I.
Although his original style was still clearly karamono in origin, Hosai II produced amazing baskets in his own style using highly developed technique.
In 1910, Hosai II moved the family to Tabata, in Tokyo and started working and living there.
In 1914, his presentation of 竹製笈 (Bamboo Oi ) and three other baskets received a Silver Prize at the Tokyo Taisho Exhibition
In the next year, 1915, when the Taisho emperor succeeded to the throne, The Iizuka family was commissioned by the Imperial Household Office to make 神服入目籠 Shinpuku iremekago . Hosai II produced one pair of Shinpuku ireme kago with his then 64-year-old father, Houou, and his 26-year-old younger brother Yanosuke (Rokansai)
In 1925, his entry 笈形器局 Oigatakikyoku received a honorary prize in the Paris World Fair of Ornamental Arts and Crafts. The Japanese government had provided a subsidy for production of this piece.
Hosai II also received a number of prizes in other exhibitions, such as ones sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce.
At that time, bamboo crafts were seen as a commercial endeavor of industrial production. However, Hosai II gained the respect of other artists, establishing the dignity of bamboo artists, and opened the door for further development of the field of bamboo arts for Rokansai and following generations of artists.
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