KYOSAI

kyosai, sho-fu (1831-1889), japanese painter, was born at koga in the province of shimotsuke, japan, in 1831. after working for a short time, as a boy, with kuniyoshi, he received his artistic training in the studio of kano dohaku, but soon abandoned the formal traditions of his master for the greater freedom of the popular school. during the political ferment which produced and followed the revolution of 1867, kyosai attained a considerable reputation as a caricaturist. he was three times arrested and imprisoned by the authorities of the shogunate. soon after the assumption of effective power by the mikado, a great congress of painters and men of letters was held, at which kyosai was present. he again expressed his opinion of the new movement in a caricature, which had a great popular success, but also brought him into the hands of the police--this time of the opposite party. kyosai must be considered the greatest successor of hokusai (of whom, however, he was not a pupil), and as the first political caricaturist of japan. his work--like his life--is somewhat wild and undisciplined, and "occasionally smacks of the _sake_ cup." but if he did not possess hokusai's dignity, power and reticence, he substituted an exuberant fancy, which always lends interest to draughtsmanship of very great technical excellence. in addition to his caricatures, kyosai painted a large number of pictures and sketches, often choosing subjects from the folk-lore of his country. a fine collection of these works is preserved in the british museum; and there are also good examples in the national art library at south kensington, and the musee guimet at paris. among his illustrated books may be mentioned _yehon taka-kagami_, illustrations of hawks (5 vols., 1870, &c.); _kyosai gwafu_ (1880); _kyosai dongwa_; _kyosai raku-gwa_; _kyosai riaku-gwa_; _kyosai mangwa_ (1881); _kyosai suigwa_ (1882); and _kyosai gwaden_ (1887). the latter is illustrated by him under the name of kawanabe toyoku, and two of its four volumes are devoted to an account of his own art and life. he died in 1889. see guimet (e.) and regamey (f.), _promenades japonaises_ (paris, 1880); anderson (w.), _catalogue of japanese painting in the british museum_ (london, 1886); mortimer menpes, "a personal view of japanese art: a lesson from kyosai," _magazine of art_ (1888). (e. f. s.) kyrie (in full _kyrie eleison_, or _eleeson_, gr. [greek: kyrie eleeson]; cf. ps. cxxii. 3, matt. xv. 22, &c., meaning "lord, have mercy"), the words of petition used at the beginning of the mass and in other offices of the eastern and roman churches. in the anglican book of common prayer the kyrie is introduced into the orders for morning and evening prayer, and also, with an additional petition, as a response made by the congregation after the reading of each of the ten commandments at the opening of the communion service. these responses are usually sung, and the name kyrie is thus also applied to their musical setting. in the lutheran church the kyrie is still said or sung in the original greek. "kyrielle," a shortened form of _kyrie eleison_, is applied to eight-syllabled four-line verses, the last line in each verse being repeated as a refrain.