Uchii Tatsuo runs a gallery called Matsuzukuri, which is actually more focused on selling art than being an art gallery. They also rent out the space for private exhibitions and auctions, and they have gained some fame in the art community in Hirano.

When Nanahara Takeshi and his group arrived at Matsuzukuri gallery, it was almost 6 o'clock and the sky was already dark. The staff at the entrance reminded them that the gallery was about to close and tickets were no longer being sold. After understanding their purpose, they pointed out the location of the side door and asked them to go in and find the gallery owner.

Nakano Eri nodded and thanked them before heading towards the side door. However, Nanahara Takeshi looked at the slightly damaged promotional painting in front of the gallery and asked, "Will Ichinose Hajime's works see the light of day again? Does your gallery have any authentic works by Ichinose Hajime?"

The staff smiled and replied, "Yes, we are preparing for an auction this weekend. It will feature Ichinose Hajime's authentic works."

Nanahara Takeshi was interested and asked, "How long were his works displayed in the gallery before?"

The staff thought for a moment and said, "They were displayed for about three weeks, until last weekend when the public exhibition ended. If you had come a couple of days earlier, you could have seen them."

Nanahara Takeshi smiled and asked, "Was that the original plan?"

The staff was a bit puzzled but still smiled and answered, "Yes, the original plan was to have a public exhibition for about three weeks to promote the auction and increase our reputation. At the same time, there were also other works on display, making it the largest exhibition in our gallery in recent years."

"Thank you." Nanahara Takeshi sincerely thanked them and turned to go towards the side door.

"Who is Ichinose Hajime?" Kiyomi Ruri was flipping through her small notebook desperately. She remembered the name, but couldn't find it for a moment.

Nanahara Takeshi casually said, "An unlucky monk."

"What do you mean? Tell me more." Kiyomi Ruri stopped flipping and directly asked Nanahara Takeshi, the know-it-all.

Nanahara Takeshi glanced at her and saw Nakano Eri also showing interest, so he briefly explained to the two girls who had no interest in art.

Ichinose Hajime came from a poor samurai family and was the second son without inheritance rights. He was sent to a temple as a young monk shortly after he was born. After growing up in the temple, he became known for his delicate features, shy personality like a woman, and talent in painting. He was chosen by a local daimyo to be a member of the Ami, a group of entertainers who entertained and amused the lord. Generally, they had some artistic talent, such as the musicians Kan'ami and Zeami who were with Oda Nobunaga.

In simple terms, Ichinose Hajime became an "official painter" and his main job was to draw erotic books to entertain the lord.

After becoming a member of the Ami, his living conditions greatly improved, and he was exposed to a wider art world, laying a good foundation for his future artistic achievements. However, his good fortune didn't last long. After about five or six years of instability, the daimyo he followed was defeated, and he was forced to return to the temple. Unable to adapt to the poor life in the temple again, he started looking for a new daimyo and sold himself.

He successively joined several small daimyos, castle lords, and even local nobles, but the level of each one was lower than the previous one, and he could never settle down for more than two days. Either the main family was killed or imprisoned, or he became a monk himself. In the end, he was forced to wander around, relying on selling his paintings to merchants for a living. However, during the period of war, even the emperor's family had to rely on selling calligraphy and paintings to support themselves. This profession became too competitive, and although his painting skills improved, he still lived in a state of semi-starvation.

To access the premium content, go to [ pawread dot com ].

He lived like this for more than ten years and even wandered to Kyushu Island. Finally, he survived until the monkey took over the world and the chaos subsided.

By this time, he had gained some fame in the art world and was appointed as a painter by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the successor of the monkey. He traveled around the country with him, painting landscapes of the country for exhibition. Just when he thought his life was about to enter a new stage, Hideyoshi had a legitimate son and wanted to deprive Toyotomi Hidetsugu of his inheritance rights, accusing him of plotting rebellion...

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was ordered to commit suicide, and Ichinose Hajime became a member of the "conspiracy and rebellion" party. He fled to Chiburi Island in a hurry.

Perhaps the more miserable a person is, the higher their artistic level. During his time on Chiburi Island, he immersed himself in art to numb himself from the fear of being executed. Like other Japanese painters, he tried to incorporate the unique lines of Chinese Jiangnan woodblock prints and illustrations of Ming Dynasty legendary stories into his works. It already had a hint of the charm of Japanese ukiyo-e in the future.

Well, ukiyo-e originated from Chinese Jiangnan woodblock prints, which are those chubby babies holding fish in their arms in the New Year paintings. At that time, a large number of Song and Ming Dynasty books with woodblock print illustrations were introduced to Japan, and many painters loved to imitate them, gradually forming the prototype of ukiyo-e. It even spread to Europe later, influencing artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and Monet. Many Western modern art works that people now like can be traced back to the chubby babies in Chinese Jiangnan.

After living on Chiburi Island for a while, Ichinose Hajime's painting skills finally reached their peak, and he developed his own style. At this time, Japan was also in a peaceful period, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, with the support of Hideyoshi's wife Cha Cha, finally took over the country.

When the Tokugawa Shogunate completely stabilized the situation and eliminated the rebels, another two or three years had passed. The Tokugawa Shogunate was ready to enjoy the peaceful era and turned its attention to the art field. They planned to establish institutions such as a Go school and an art academy, and they intended to appoint Ichinose Hajime as an official painter and even give him the status of a samurai.

Ichinose Hajime was naturally very excited when he received the news. He felt that he had finally made it and celebrated wildly. However, he died suddenly due to excessive drinking. Only his last works were sent to Edo, and his turbulent life finally came to an end. Some people say that he died because he drank too much and ran around, and eventually froze to death in the snow. But in any case, he died.

Nanahara Takeshi briefly talked about Ichinose Hajime's life experience and finally said, "His last works were not highly valued at that time. They were thrown into a warehouse in Edo and left to gather dust. Many of them were damaged due to poor storage. Only some of his early works, which were considered adult content, were popular. It wasn't until the later period of the shogunate, influenced by the Western trend, that his works began to gain some recognition. However, after nearly two hundred years, there are not many intact works left. Later, during the Edo turmoil, many were burned or lost. The ones that have survived until now are very few."

"I see." Kiyomi Ruri felt that she had learned something new, but she didn't care about the misfortune of an ancient person and had no interest in the artistic value. She could only curiously ask, "If there are very few works that have survived, then his paintings must be very valuable, right?"

"Nonsense!" Nanahara Takeshi looked at her disdainfully. "How can you measure artwork with money?"

"So, they are not very valuable then?"

Nanahara Takeshi rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment before saying, "He is not the kind of painter who can be found in textbooks. Although his artistic style is similar to 'shunga', it was Katsukawa Shunsho who is recognized as the pioneer of 'shunga'. His brilliance completely overshadowed Ichinose Hajime, and he lost most of his fame. His works can only be included as accompanying exhibits in national treasure exhibitions, and they are probably worth around 30 to 50 million yen per piece, depending on the period. The early erotic works and the later works with distinctive shunga style have more collecting value and potential for appreciation. Unique collectors and insurance companies would love them. However, the legends and strange stories he painted in the middle period, which were done just to make a living, are not as good as the works of contemporary famous artists."

"30 to 50 million yen is not a small amount." Kiyomi Ruri was not very knowledgeable about economics, but she knew that this price could buy a large villa in Hirano, which was worth more than Matsuchi Yuki's river view house. It couldn't be considered small. She pondered and said, "I checked my notebook just now, and Matsuchi Yūto came here two days before he was killed to interview this famous artist exhibition. Is it possible that he discovered that Ichinose Hajime's works were fake and wanted to report it, so Uchii Tatsuo took action..."

As she said this, she made a cutting motion with her hand, her expression a bit fierce, as if she had caught the murderer directly. Nanahara Takeshi didn't deny her reasonable speculation and rubbed his chin, saying, "It is indeed a good motive for murder, but based on what I know about Matsuchi Yūto, he was just a lazy art columnist. If a fake could deceive professional art dealers and appraisers, I don't think he had the expertise to distinguish it."

Well, that makes sense. There's no reason why Matsuchi Yūto's expertise could surpass that of professional appraisers. Otherwise, he should have become an art appraiser instead of an art columnist. He would definitely have a better future.

Kiyomi Ruri held her breath, and while they were chatting, they had already arrived at the office area of Matsuzukuri gallery. Nakano Eri stopped a staff member and asked, and easily found Uchii Tatsuo's office.

............

Uchii Tatsuo's office was not very large, but the desk, chairs, and cabinets were arranged in a clever and coordinated manner, giving a comfortable feeling. On the wall, there were three animal specimens displayed side by side: a deer head, a wild boar head, and a mountain goat head, showcasing the owner's bravery and hunting skills.

But Uchii Tatsuo didn't look very strong. He was small in stature, with a weathered face, and many wrinkles, making him look older. However, despite his small size, there was a hint of energy in his every move, making people not dare to underestimate him.

He didn't show any reaction when the police and a high school student advisor and a JK came to his office. He greeted them with a smile and answered their questions about Matsuchi Yūto's murder, which was similar to his previous answers to the police.

The public exhibition was a major art event in Hirano, and Matsuchi Yūto came specifically to interview and learn about the behind-the-scenes information, such as the source of the paintings, which would be of interest to readers. Uchii Tatsuo warmly received him, and they had a pleasant conversation. He even took him to a dinner with the gallery staff, and they had a few drinks together.

After questioning him for a while and not finding any problems, Kiyomi Ruri thought for a moment and stared at Uchii Tatsuo's face, trying to test him. "Uchii-san, the most valuable works in the exhibition were Ichinose Hajime's paintings, right? Matsuchi-san must have been very interested in these paintings. Can we also take a look?"

She hadn't completely given up on her speculation. If Matsuchi Yūto could tell that they were fake, then Nanahara Takeshi would definitely be able to tell as well. They might even be able to identify the culprit directly. But as soon as she finished speaking, Uchii Tatsuo got up and brought back a promotional page, smiling, "It's not just one painting, it's four paintings. They are the most proud works of Ichinose-sensei's career, so I decided to make them the main exhibition pieces."

Nanahara Takeshi reached out and took the page, glanced at the color prints, and raised an eyebrow. "So these are the four paintings. No wonder they said they would see the light of day again. These four paintings have been missing for a long time."

Uchii Tatsuo looked at him in surprise, sat back in his seat, and smiled, "Yes, they are the 'Chiburi Island Four Scrolls' that were lost during the opening of Edo. It's fortunate that they have reappeared."

Nanahara Takeshi carefully looked at the photos and nodded, "So Ichinose-sensei's paintings suddenly appeared in Hirano. That makes sense." Then he looked up with interest and asked, "It seems that you found them by chance, Uchii-san. Can you tell us how you found them?"

Uchii Tatsuo smiled and remained silent, not wanting to say. Nanahara Takeshi didn't mind, and he also didn't insist. He lowered his head to look at the photos again.

Kiyomi Ruri had already looked at them a few times earlier and found that the four scrolls were in the form of long scrolls, depicting the four seasons and the way of life of the local residents on Chiburi Island. They all had a bit of a sky element, and one of them even depicted the night sky. It seemed suspicious, but she had learned her lesson at Deji Studio and no longer made a big fuss. She just pointed to one of them and asked in confusion, "Is this scroll torn? It looks like a corner of the painting is missing, and it also looks like... it has been soaked in water?"

Uchii Tatsuo's smile disappeared, and he sighed, "It was lost and ended up in a storage room of a household. The storage conditions were very poor, and it was already damaged when I found it. I haven't found anyone who can repair it perfectly with certainty, so I dare not touch it easily. That's why it is displayed like this."

After a pause, he named the auction's flagship piece, "But even with some damage, it doesn't affect its artistic value."

Kiyomi Ruri didn't understand the artistic value, and the photos didn't look very clear to her. She hesitated and asked, "Can't we see the original paintings? Just looking at the photos..."

"I am willing to cooperate with the police. If you think it is necessary, of course, you can. But can it be tomorrow?" Uchii Tatsuo didn't refuse. "These paintings don't belong entirely to the gallery. I used my limited ability to pay a huge amount of money and borrowed a loan to purchase them. The paintings are now in a safe deposit box and will only be taken out again for the auction. To see the original paintings, I need to be present with a representative from the bank to avoid unnecessary disputes."

"Okay." Kiyomi Ruri felt that their request was reasonable, and they had come too late anyway.

Uchii Tatsuo looked at the clock, then looked at them and asked, "Do you have any other questions?"

Kiyomi Ruri quickly said, "We also need to know your whereabouts that night."

Uchii Tatsuo was very cooperative and picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said, "No problem, but I have been busy with the auction recently. I have a dinner appointment tonight, and the time is almost up. If you don't mind, I can have Hiradate-kun talk to you. We were together that night."

He had already been very cooperative, and there was no sign of impatience. Compared to the old pervert Deji, he was simply the representative of a model citizen. Nanahara Takeshi and his group naturally had no objections and could only take their leave.

Uchii Tatsuo politely escorted them to the door and said, "I am also sorry for the death of Matsuchi-san. If there is anything else I need to do, please feel free to call me."

"Okay, thank you." After a brief exchange, both Kiyomi Ruri and Nakano Eri had a good impression of him and thanked him in unison. Nanahara Takeshi had already walked out of the door, but he turned back and smiled, "I almost forgot, Uchii-san, if you were to describe Matsuchi-san as an animal, what kind of animal do you think he would be?"

Uchii Tatsuo was stunned for a moment and laughed, "He would probably be a mountain whale. Yes... Matsuchi-san is very serious and energetic in his work, just like a mountain whale."