Sugimura Jihei
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According to art historian and ukiyo-e collector Richard Lane, Sugimura should be as an “indirect pupil” of Hishikawa Moronobu. Much of Sugimura's work was once attributed to fellow followers of Moronobu, or to Moronobu himself.[1] In the 1920s, however, unsigned prints were discovered to have hidden signatures of Sugimura's incorporated in the drawing of the clothing folds.[1] It appears Sugimura preferred (unlike most ukiyo-e artists) to sign with his surname rather than his given name.
There are few contemporary texts with information on Sugimura.[1] The earliest mention of him can be found in a directory of Edo artists from 1689, the Edo Zukan Kompuku, where he is listed with his name and address as “Woodblock Artist, Sugimura Jihei Masataka, Tori-Aburacho.”[1] Ryutei Tanahiko's Yoshabako, published in 1841, also credits Sugimura as illustrator of two books which are not known to be extant.[1]
