赤松 雲嶺 

Chūwa [Baikei] (1758–1835),
 

March 31, 1814- January 21, 1907

The Old Crane Fishing 1850

Tanomura Chokunyu (1814-1907) was born in 1814 as the third son of the Oka han clansmen, Sanomiya Denuemon. His uncle, Watanabe Houtou knew Tanomura Chikuden during his youth and was introduced to him around age 9 and enters Chikuden's school of art around the 5th year of Bunsei (1822) and was recognized for his talent and was soon adpoted into the Tanomura family. His elder disciples were Takahashi Sohei and Hoashi Kyou.

In other genres, he learned Confucianism from Sumida Kyuka, Chinese poetry from Hirose Kyousho, in addition he learns Omote senke tea ceremony, Kodo (incense ceremony), and Tougun syle Kendo.

During the 5th year of Tenpo (1834) Chokunyu follows Chikuden to Osaka and enters Oshio Heihachiro's  school, Senshindo and learns Yomeigaku (Neo-Confucianism) and meets Fujisawa Togai, Shinozaki Shochiku, Goto Shoin,and Okada Hanko. Plus he receives a certificate of the Satake riryu style of Sojutsu (martial arts using the spear). After his master, Chikuden's death on the sixth year of Tenpo (1835) Chokunyu for a while takes a vacation between Kyoto and Osaka and when he turned 27 he settles in Sakai and opens a poetry group called the Kousaiginsha and had 300 members.

At age 35, he attends a zazen class held by the Obaku monk, Tenchu Shinichi and receives the dharma name, Inka and  when the Teno temple in Osaka was being restored, he donated a 500 Luohan (arhat) painting to the temple. On the first year of Manreki (1860) he moves to Osaka city, Kouraibashi and conducts a memorial service for his late master. On the second year of Bunkyu (1862) Chokunyu takes the effort to spread loose leaf tea ceremony throughout Osaka and holds a tea event in honoring the 100th memorial of the Obaku monk Baisao on the Seiwan banks of the Yodo River, and the event was called the "Seiwan Chakai".

During this time, the lord of his home in Oka, Nakagawa Hisanari requested that he come home and to serve him as a clansmen and was thought to have been a recommendation from his second master, the bunjin artist, Haruki Nanmei. The lord of the Tosa clan, Yamauchi Yodo and the Ise-tsu clan, Todou Takayuki also favored Chokunyu's talents.

After the Meiji restoration, on the 10th year of Meiji (1877) at the age of 63, Chokunyu assists in the Kyoto Exhibition and sends his paintings to the event which all won awards. The following year, when Emperor Meiji was taking a tour, Chokunyu was requested to meet the emperor and his fame grew. In 1880 (13th year of Meiji) Chokunyu, Kouno Bairei, and Makimura Masanao establish the Kyoto Prefecture school of the arts and Chokunyu serves the school's first president. However when the school's various style started to compete and fight with each other, he resigned his post in 1884 (17th year of Meiji).

After this mess, he created his own small school known as the Nanshu Gagakko (The Nanga school of the arts). In 1896 (the 23rd year of Meiji), Chokunyu, Tomioka Tessai, and Taniguchi Aizan establish the Nihon Nanga Kyokai (The Japan Nanga Association) and merges the association with his school. In 1899 (23rd year of Meiji) at the age of 86, he becomes the abbot of the Obaku sub-temple of Shishirin. Even during this time he never stopped his activities of both powder and loose leaf green tea ceremonies, exhibitions of his works and antiquities.

In 1907 (40th year of Meiji) Chokunyu removes his title of monk due to an issue he did not agree with the previous abbot of Manpukuji and its assistant. He died the same year on January at the age of 95. His disciples were Kodama Katei and Tanaka Hakuin.
 

The translation could therefore read this way:

''Your character,  flexible as the willow, your wisdom, an  inspiration to your family, your soul,  like the whirlpools of ancient landscape and, having reached a venerable age, you still do things your own way'

(1791–1857)

1918-

Shibata Gito
柴田義董 Japan, 1780 – 1819

Notes on other artists that painted winter scenes with animals and birds

Gito Shibata, 白川芝山.

Pupil of Go Shun 1752-1811 the founder of the Shijō school of Kyoto

Shibata Gitô was born in Bizen and moved to Kyoto, where he became a student of Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811), the founder of the Shijô school of painting. Soon he became an important member of this school, specializing in landscapes and kachôga. His early death prevented him from becoming more widely known and from becoming as famous as Matsumura Keibun and Okamoto Toyohiko, the other two most prominent members of the Shijô school.
He also painted in the style of the Maruyama-Shijō school, whose founder Maruyama ōkyo (1737-95) had developed a new, naturalistic style to depict, among many other subjects, genre scenes of the urban life of Kyoto. Shibata Gitō (1780-1819) was a pupil of ōkyo's contemporary Go Shun (1752-1811). He died young and his works, characterized by fine brushwork and a light-hearted charm, are relatively rare.

The signature reads 'Gitō sha' ('Painted by Gitō')
References:
Araki, Tsune (ed), Dai Nihon shôga meika taikan, Tokyo 1975 (1934), p. 2210
Roberts, Laurance P., A Dictionary of Japanese artists, New York, 1976, p. 32 Notes: from a British Museum scroll:

Pictures of Flowers and Birds (Kachoga) took as its main subjects birds, grasses, and flowers. Some focused only on grasses and flowers, while in others insects such as cicadas, bees, and butterflies appeared in place of birds. There were in fact a large number of sub-types, including some that depicted animals like dogs, rabbits, or deer, in combination with flowers or trees.

November 24, 1873 - June 30, 1957

Hirotsura Sumiyoshi (1793-1863)

Katsushika Hokusai was a Ukiyo-e painter well known internationally. He published over 30,000 paintings during his life. His creativity have a great influence on any kinds of artists such as a musician or an industrial artist. Vincent van Gogh is well known as the one who was influenced by Hokusai very much. Hokusai learned every sort of paintings and made his original way of painting. His pupils are more than 200 people. His most important work would be "FUGAKU 36 KEI" or "HOKUSAI MANGA". From "FUGAKU 36 KEI", Claude Achille Debussy inspired making "La mer". He is the one of most importat person of Japanese Art History.
Hokusai has 30 pseudonyms. Hokusai, Haruo, Gunmatei, Sori, Tokimasa, Hokusaitokimasa, etc

restored in 2011

Calligraphy reads: (click image)

Kokoro Shizukanareba Rakunaganen :
If we have a peaceful day,a matter of joy will last longer.

Subject illustrated in Amy Newland, Jan Perrèe, Robert Schaap, Crows, Cranes & Camellias the natural world of Ohara Koson 1877-1945. Leiden 2001. no. K 41.9

Ohara Koson (1877-1945) Also known as Ohara Matao, Shoson, Hoson Ohara.

Nature in print Japanese artist Ohara Koson
had his own unique perspective on the natural
world. In his numerous prints he depicted animals
in their own environment, specialising particularly
 in birds. A characteristic of Koson's style was his
ability to imitate brushstrokes in the lines of a woodcut
print. This show presented a broad selection of his prints alongside a number of paintings by the artist

Koson was born in Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture. His original name was Matao. He became a student of Suzuki Kason, a Shijo-style painter. During his study with Kason, he took his artist name Koson, which was perhaps partial adaptation of his teacher's. His artist name was changed to Shoson in 1912 and Hoson later in his career.

Around 1900 Koson started teaching at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he met Ernest Fenollosa, an American who had a great passion for Japanese art. Fenollosa convinced Koson to deign prints in traditional Japanese-style for export, mainly to the United States.

After the Russo-Japanese War irrupted in 1904, Koson, like many ukiyoe artists at the time, began designing war prints. By then people in Japan had lost interest in traditional woodblock prints as a result of the introduction of photography. The war was a chance for these financially troubled ukiyoe artists to get out of poverty as the demand for illustrations of the war was high.

As well as war prints, Koson also made some landscape prints in the 1900's. But his chief interest remained to be birds and flowers. He had many kachoe published by Kokkeido and Daikokuya early in his career, and his works around this period were in restraint of bright colours, capturing a certain sense of calmness and elegance.

Changing his artist name to Shoson in 1912, he began concentrating on painting. However, many believe that he created some more prints for Daikokuya using the name Koson.

In 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed much of Tokyo. Watanabe Shozaburo, a Tokyo publisher and the initiator of the Shin Hanga (New Print) movement, lost his workshop in this catastrophic event. His shop was reopened in the following year, and to rebuild his print business he recruited Koson and other best printmakers. Koson re-started printmaking, in 1926. From then on, many of his print designs, mostly kach-e, were published by Watanabe, though Koson also worked with other publishers including Nishinomiya Yosaku. On the works published by Sakai and Kawaguchi, he used the name Hoson.

Koson's prints after 1926 have much brighter colours than his early works, perhaps because they were aimed at the Western market. His kacho-e prints were exported to the U.S. in hundreds. In 1930 and 1936, his prints were displayed at the Toledo exhibition.

Koson's depiction of birds is masterful and body details, feathers in particular, were done with meticulous care. His kacho-e prints are considered among the best portrayal of birds created in the 20th century Japan.

Isenin Hogen

Biography Kôseki, Nakanishi 耕石 中西

Koseki although born in Osaka he was brought up in Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県, Fukuoka-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island.
He studied under the great artist Oda Kaisen (1785-1862) a Nanga painter,in Kyoto.It was in Kyoto that he established himself as a top rated artist. He also studied the Southern Chinese style. This resulted in a style which is typical for the Meiji nanga style. He moved back to Osaka when he was 26, and lived there for the rest of his life. He was very popular in the Kansai area. During the late Edo and early Meiji period he was considered one of the best landscape artists in Japan, alongside Taizan (Hine Taizan, 1813-1870). His works are in a number of private collections and museums, including the Ashmolean.

One of his studnets was Hata Kinseki (Hata Tatsu) who was born in Kyoto in 1856. He was a nanga artist

References:
Araki, Tsune (ed), Dai Nihon shôga meika taikan, Tokyo 1975 (1934), p.1555
Roberts, Laurance P., A Dictionary of Japanese artists, New York, 1976, p. 91

Also known as Hata Tatsu

Seisen Hogen

1916-1994)

He was a warrior and devotee of tea ceremony in the Edo latter period. He became the 8th Ensyu sect head. Hhis real name, Masamoto, nick name be Daizen. As a devotee of the tea ceremony he was responsible for the revival of the Kobori sect in the later part of the Edo  period. He died at 82 in 1867.

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Nakajima Kaho:1866-

Showa-
Late MEIJI to TAISHO period

Painter.Born in Kyoto,prefered to Maruyama Okyo style drawing,and learned painting under Mori Kansai,and calligraphy under Tomioka Tessai.Often exhibited Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai and the other exhibitions.Good at landscape and kachoga

From 1907 on Takahashi Hiroaki designed large numbers of prints for Watanabe's print shop. He was one of the first printmakers joining the artisan "pool" of Watanabe. The prints were largely exported - mainly to Northern America.

By 1923 he had produced a total of about 500 designs - mostly in Oban or smaller sizes. Then Japan was hit by the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 - the worst natural catastrophe in the history of Japan. The earthquake and the fires that raged for three days, killed 140,000 people. Watanabe's print shop was completely destroyed - and with it the woodblocks of all 500 prints created by Takahashi Hiroaki. Watanabe and his shin hanga artists had to start from zero - all over again.

Kawabata Gyokusho (April 18 1842- February 14, 1913)
Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913) was born in Kyoto City Takakura Nijo Kawaramachi on April 14, 1842 (The 13th year of Tenpo) as Ryunosuke, the son of Kawabata Sahei a lacquer artisan who did maki-e. He learned Chinese poetry from his father and as well as the craft of maki-e. Around 1852 (the fifth year of Kaei) Gyokusho learned Maruyama painting style from Nakajima Raisho and learned Chinese and Japanese philosophy, culture, and history as well as interpreting art from Oda Kaisen. Gyokusho also studied Western painting
in Tokyo under Charles Wirgman.

In 1866 (the second year of Keio) Gyokusho moved to Edo and made a living making kaleidoscopes and woodblock print fold outs for magazines and learned Western style painting. Gyokusho at that time earns his first award at the Naikoku kangyo Exhibiton under the naikoku Kaiga kyoushinkai. His skills were admired by Okakura Tenshin and he then  asked Kawabata Gyokusho to become part of the faculty at his school, the Tokyo Arts Academy (Now Tokyo University of the Fine Arts) Kawabat Goykusho was to be a professor and served from 1888 (21st year of Meiji) until 1912 (the 45th year of Meiji) a year before he died. Gyokusho submitted art to the Nihon Kaiga kyoka who were a group who did contemporary works as well as the Nihon Bijutsu Kyokai who were mainly for the older styles. As being a central figure of the older school group he was selected to paint the cedar doors of the imperial palace in 1888. His works combine the Maruyama school with Western realist styles and during his latter years he experimented with Bunjin styles. In the latter part of the 19th century, Kawabata Gyokusho participated with the Imperial Art board (Teishitsy gigei in) and in 1909 established his own art school. In 1897 he became part of the board for the historical preservation of temples and shrines as well as a member who examines and appraises items to be selected to become national treasures. He was known for his efforts in preserving ancient art and had wide influence within artists circles. Gyokusho was also known by his other names, Kyotei and Sho-ou (his choice for Sho-ou, the character shou if the sections of the character are separated is the same as Gyokusho) and sometimes as Yu Zhang His son, Kawabata Shigeaki was also an artist including Kawabata Gyokusetsu (a member of the family) Shigeaki inherited the school and became the second generation. His Grandson, Kawabata Minoru was an artist specialising in oil paintings and was in New York as a researcher, painter, and teacher at the New York School for Social Research.

During his career, he won many prizes in domestic painting competitions and exhibitions

Shukoyuhi (signature) & Yuhi (seal).

Yasuda

He was an artist of the Sijyou-Maruyama sect. He was born in Kyoto. His last name Yasuda. He was part of the Sijyou-Maruyama sect his teacher being Raisyou Nakajima and learned landscape from Bunrin Shiokawa. After this he became the teacher. Hi students included the genius Seihou Takeuchi, Houbun Kikuchi, Gyokudo Kawai etc.

Kohkan Watanabe (1878-1938)

He was born in Shiga Pref. Ootsu on January 20 in Meiji 11 (1878). His real name was Kohhei. He left  Kyoto municipal arts and crafts school and became the student of Sobun Morikawa in Meiji 28 (1895) he then learned the Shijyo art of drawing. In Meiji 35 (1902) he studied without a teacher after the death of the mentor. Thereafter he displayed many works with the exhibition. He died in Kyoto on July 29 in Showa 13 (1938). Age 60 years old.

His real name was Tsunetarou. He was born in Okayama Pref. in 1864. He studied under Rogetsu Nakagawa. At the end of his life he lived in Osaka.

Kachoga painter

Subject: Shikunshi

Raisho Nakajima was born in Otsu and was a pupil of Watanabe Nangaku and later of Maruyama Ozui. He was a late Edo exponent of the Maruyama manner. Kano Bairei and Kawabata Gyokusho were his pupils.

Shintsudo, Shumbunsai, Toko (Haiku name) were also used

His pennames also include Yomo no Akara, Yomo Sanjin, Kyōkaen, and Shokusanjin (蜀山人).

Father

Grandson

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Tanaka Raisho represent a tour de force by the artist at the peak of his abilities. Raisho is well known for his Shijo style landscapes in the manner of his highly esteemed teacher Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913) who is widely recognized as the last great representative of the Shijo school. Painted purely with ink on a gold leaf ground, Raisho has used a multitude of varying brushstrokes and washes to define the landscape and impart depth. Like his teacher Gyokusho, Raisho generally painted native Japanese landscapes, drawing inspiration from his natural surroundings and the people who inhabited it.

Tanaka Raisho first studied under Mori Kansai (1814-1894) in Kyoto. After moving to Tokyo he studied under Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913), a leading figure in Japanese painting who perpetuated the Shijo style evoked in this painting by his pupil.

Also known as Komei and as Shotei

From 1907 on Takahashi Hiroaki designed large numbers of prints for Watanabe's print shop. He was one of the first printmakers joining the artisan "pool" of Watanabe. The prints were largely exported - mainly to Northern America.

By 1923 he had produced a total of about 500 designs - mostly in Oban or smaller sizes. Then Japan was hit by the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 - the worst natural catastrophe in the history of Japan. The earthquake and the fires that raged for three days, killed 140,000 people. Watanabe's print shop was completely destroyed - and with it the woodblocks of all 500 prints created by Takahashi Hiroaki. Watanabe and his shin hanga artists had to start from zero - all over again.

KISHI RENZAN (GAN) (1805-1859)

Kishi Renzan was a painter who lived in Kyoto . He was a pupil of his father-in-law Kishi Ganku by whom he was adopted. Kishi Renzan specialized in landscapes and nature ( kacho-ga ) paintings. He was also known for his Tora-Tigers which he liked to paint in swirling mist. In addition the artist is known for the paintings of wild geese on the walls of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto

The pseudonym of Chikuha Otake

Chikuha Otake (1878-1936)

Also known as Komei and as Shotei

From 1907 on Takahashi Hiroaki designed large numbers of prints for Watanabe's print shop. He was one of the first printmakers joining the artisan "pool" of Watanabe. The prints were largely exported - mainly to Northern America.

By 1923 he had produced a total of about 500 designs - mostly in Oban or smaller sizes. Then Japan was hit by the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 - the worst natural catastrophe in the history of Japan. The earthquake and the fires that raged for three days, killed 140,000 people. Watanabe's print shop was completely destroyed - and with it the woodblocks of all 500 prints created by Takahashi Hiroaki. Watanabe and his shin hanga artists had to start from zero - all over again.

In the art world, an artist’s ability and the market price don’t match sometimes. Although Shuho had an ability enough to be told “Shinsui in east, Shuho in west”, his name didn’t spread much because of his young death.

More on this school of painting below

1941-

Orchid and Flower Painter

Suzuki Yasuyuki
1911-1980

1875-1949

1875 Uemura Shoen was born in Kyoto. Her true name is Tsune.

1887 She entered the "Kyoto-fu Gagakko (existing Kyoto City Dohda Senior High School of Arts)".
1888 became the pupil of Suzuki Shonen.
1895 became the pupil of Kono Bairei.
1895  became the pupil of Takeuchi Seiho.
1900 exhibited at the 9th "Nihon Kaiga Kyokai and Nihon Bijutsuin Rengou Kyoshinkai", and she was given the silver medal, and achieved eminence in the painting circle in Japan.
1902 She bore the eldest son, Uemura Shoko.
1916 exhibited "Gesshoku No Yoi" at the 10th "Bunten (existing Nitten)".
1940 exhibited "Tsuzumi No Ne" at The New York International Exhibition.
1941was appointed to the member of the "Teikoku Bijutsuin (existing Nitten)".
1946 was appointed to the judge of the "Shinbunten (existing Nitten)".
1948 was given the Order of Culture the first as a woman.
1949 She passed away in August at 74 years old.

Suzuki Shonen (1849-1918)
鈴木松年

1902-2001

Chigusa Sôun (1873-1944)

Swordsman Momoi Shunzo was Grandmaster of the Kyoshin Meichi Ryu Shigakukan Dojo, one of the 'Three Great Kendo Dojo of Edo'. The other two were the Hokushin Itto Ryu Gembukan headed by Chiba Shusaku, and the Shindo Munen Ryu Renbeikan headed by Saito Yakuro. The saying in those days was 'Technique: Chiba; Power: Saito; Bearing: Momoi'.

Moriue Seisui (act 20^{th century)}

Moriue Seisui (act 20^{th century)
He was born in Osaka.Suzuki Kason was one of his pupil.}

(1700 -1800 )

Suzuki Shonen was born in Kyoto as son of Suzuki Hyakunen (1825-1891) who established his own style of painting without adhering to any of the established styles such as the Shijo-Maruyama, Nanga or Kano schools. Shônen is considered the best student of Hyakunen's, and was known for his bold and dramatic brushstrokes. After he established his own style of painting without adhering to any of the established styles such as the Shijo-Maruyama, nanga or Kano schools. Shonen is considered the best student of Hyakunen's, and was known for his bold and dramatic brushstrokes. Shōnen never worked from preliminary sketches (shita-e), but painted quickly and directly, in a bold, individual style. Considering his highly individualistic nature it is not surprising he made a private study of western painting methods.
Some of his best-known subjects are: landscapes, kacho-e, pine trees, and some traditional and Buddhist subjects.
From 1881 to 1888 Shônen was the head of the Northern Division (ink painting in the Sesshu tradition) of the Kyoto Prefecture Painting School (other divisions were: South - nanga school; East - Shijô-Maruyama school; and West - Western style painting).
Shonen appears to have been satisfied with cultivating his own art on the eve of sweeping modernisation in Japanese painting, which, in Kyoto, was led by Takeuchi Seiho, a pupil of Shonen's rival and a Shijô artist Kono Bairei.
Thus his name is less often associated with the modern movements of Japanese painting than with Uemura Shoen, one of his most talented students and the most prominent female painter of the Meiji period. Other well known pupils were Shoshu Saito and Kimura Konen

Taigen Koji  Painted c 1930

1868 On September 18, Yokoyama Taikan was born in Mito city, Ibaragi Prefecture.
1889 entered Tokyo School of Fine Arts (existing Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music).
1893 graduated from Tokyo School of Fine Arts.
1895 took office to a teacher of Kyoto-shi Bijutsu Kougei Gakko (existing Kyoto City Dohda Senior High School of Arts).
1896 He was appointed to the assistant professor of Tokyo School of Fine Arts.
1898 took part in the establishment of the Nihon-Bijutsuin, and took office to the councilor of it.
1907 The "Monbusho Bijutsu Tenrankai" was established, and Yokoyama Taikan was appointed to the judge of it. He exhibited at the 1st "Bunten" exhibition.
1914 Yokoyama Taikan, Shimomura Kanzan and others restored the Nihon Bijutsuin.
1928 exhibited "Tachiaoi" at the 15th Inten exhibition, and he presented it to Mussolini, the prime minister later.
1935 was appointed to a member of the Shin-teikoku Bijutsuin.
1937 was given the 1st Order of Culture with Takeuchi Seiho and others.
1949 He offered his resignation to the Nihon Geijutsuin because of his age.
1958 On February 26, Yokoyama Taikan passed away at 89 years old, and he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.

Kanō Tan'yū (狩野 探幽?, 4 March 1602 - 4 November 1674) was one of the foremost Japanese painters of the Kanō school. His original given name was Morinobu; he was the eldest son of Kanō Takanobu and grandson of Kanō Eitoku. Many of the most famous and widely known Kanō works today are by Tan'yū.

In 1617, Tan'yū was appointed by the Tokugawa shogunate to become one of the shogunate's official artists. Over the following years, he was given many highly prestigious commissions. Over the 1620s and '30s, he created a number of large-scale works for Edo Castle, Nijō Castle, Osaka Castle, Nagoya Castle, and Nikkō Tōshō-gū.

Prolific in a variety of painting styles, Tan'yū's most famous works are probably those he produced for these large-scale commissions. They are screens and panels, prime examples of the Momoyama style, depicting natural subjects such as tigers, birds and plants, in bright colors and with extensive use of gold leaf. The gold, often used to represent clouds, water, or other background elements, would reflect what little light was available indoors, brightening a castle's dark rooms.

Tan'yū was also accomplished, however, in monochrome ink painting based on the prototypical style of the Muromachi period, yamato-e compositions in a style similar to that of the Tosa school, and Chinese style scrolls. His most famous yamato-e work is a narrative handscroll depicting the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun and major figure in Japanese history. It was after this commission, in 1640, that the artist first took on the "artist name" of Tan'yū.

In addition to being a highly honored and respected painter in his own right, Tan'yū was known as a collector and connoisseur of Chinese paintings. He made sketches and kept records of many of the paintings that passed through his studio, brought to him for authentication.

From 1907 on Takahashi Hiroaki designed large numbers of prints for Watanabe's print shop. He was one of the first printmakers joining the artisan "pool" of Watanabe. The prints were largely exported - mainly to Northern America.

By 1923 he had produced a total of about 500 designs - mostly in Oban or smaller sizes. Then Japan was hit by the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 - the worst natural catastrophe in the history of Japan. The earthquake and the fires that raged for three days, killed 140,000 people. Watanabe's print shop was completely destroyed - and with it the woodblocks of all 500 prints created by Takahashi Hiroaki. Watanabe and his shin hanga artists had to start from zero - all over again.

Tanaka Raisho represent a tour de force by the artist at the peak of his abilities. Raisho is well known for his Shijo style landscapes in the manner of his highly esteemed teacher Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913) who is widely recognized as the last great representative of the Shijo school. Painted purely with ink on a gold leaf ground, Raisho has used a multitude of varying brushstrokes and washes to define the landscape and impart depth. Like his teacher Gyokusho, Raisho generally painted native Japanese landscapes, drawing inspiration from his natural surroundings and the people who inhabited it.

Tanaka Raisho first studied under Mori Kansai (1814-1894) in Kyoto. After moving to Tokyo he studied under Kawabata Gyokusho (1842-1913), a leading figure in Japanese painting who perpetuated the Shijo style evoked in this painting by his pupil.

Tozan Tansho and his friend Haku'un Egyo, both students of the teachings of ENNI Ben´en. These Masters brought a significant impurity from the Shingon into practice such as Gikai.

He studied under Yamamoto Shunkyo.His paintings were accepted for the art exhibition(Nitten,Bunten).
He lived in Kyoto.

Tokan Syugetsu
(1440-1529)

Muromachi Suiboku painter. Son of Shigekane Taki, a vassal of Lord Shimazu in Satsuma Province. In 1462 took Buddhust vows and became a pupil of Sessyu, living in Yamaguchi. In 1492 called back to Satsuma by Lord Shimazu and lived at the Fukusho-ji. Said to have accompanied Sessyu to China. His style very close to that of Sessyu, but his brushwork less powerful.

Born in Kyoto. He was a Talented painter who studied under Kono Bairei, He was a superb artist but he died around age 40 in the Taisho period.

This extract was taken from: ON THE LAWS OF JAPANESE PAINTING AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE ART OF JAPAN BY HENRY P  BOWIE WITH PREFATORY REMARKS BY IWAYA SAZANAMI AND HIRAI KINZA -Paul Elder and Co 1911.

The city of Kyoto has always been a hotbed of Japanese art. At that time the great artist Ko No Bairei, was still living there, and one of his distinguished pupils, Torei Nishigawa, was highly recommended  as an artist. Bairei had declared Torei's ability was so great that at the age of eighteen he had
learned all he could teach him. Torei was now over thirty years of age and a perfect style of his own, overflowing with skill, learning, and humour.

赤松 雲嶺

Unrei, Akamatsu 雲嶺 赤松 (1892 - 1958)

Akamatsu Unrei was born in Osaka in 1892. His real name was Yoshisuke.
He studied painting with Unsen Koyama and Tikugai Fujii and later with the famous nanga painter Himejima Chikugai (1840-1928).
At a relatively young age he already proved a true master of nanga, surpassing the talents of his teachers and finding a new, personal way of looking at nanga. His paintings were often exhibited with the Bunten, Teiten and Nitten and he was a member of the Nihon Nanga-in.
He died in 1958 at the age of 65

Kohkan Watanabe (1878-1938)

He was born in Shiga Pref. Ootsu on January 20 in Meiji 11 (1878). His real name was Kohhei. He left  Kyoto municipal arts and crafts school and became the student of Sobun Morikawa in Meiji 28 (1895) he then learned the Shijyo art of drawing. In Meiji 35 (1902) he studied without a teacher after the death of the mentor. Thereafter he displayed many works with the exhibition. He died in Kyoto on July 29 in Showa 13 (1938). Age 60 years old.

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1895-2000

Flower Painter