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谷文晁 / NDL Digital Collections

Tani Buncho

A leading expert in Kanto literati painting who had an eclectic, varied style 1763-1840

Tani Buncho was a painter of the late Edo period. He is said to have perfected the Kanto literati style of painting. His given name was Masayasu, he was commonly called Bungoro or Bungo, and the names he used to sign paintings included Buncho, Shazanro, and Gagakusai, among others. His father, Tani Rokkoku, was a Chinese poet who served the Tayasu family.

 

Buncho was born in Negishi, Edo, Musashi Province. At about age 12, he studied under Kato Bunrei, a shogunal retainer and painter of the Kano school. He later studied under Watanabe Gentai of the Nagasaki school, Kitayama Kangan, a specialist in Northern Song painting, and Kushiro Unzen of the Nanga (southern painting) school. A painter who concurrently studied many schools of painting, Buncho also went on to establish his own unique style.

 

In 1788 he entered service to the Tayasu family. Matsudaira Sadanobu recognized him for his talent and made him his personal attendant, and Buncho remained in service until Sadanobu retired. In 1793 Buncho accompanied Sadanobu on trips to Izu and Sagami to inspect coastal defenses. Out of these trips he created the collection Koyo tansho zu (Paintings of Scenic Spots, Made during Spare Time). He also participated in the compilation of Shuko jisshu (Collection of Ten Kinds of Antiques) and Koga ruiju (Compendium of Ancient Paintings Organized by Type), and created illustrations of old calligraphy, paintings, and antiquities.

 

He loved traveling, and he left behind many landscapes of places he visited, including Hikosan shinkei zu (An Actual View Mount Hiko), Konodai shinkei zu (An Actual View of Konodai), and the three-volume set Nihon meizan zue (Illustrations of Famous Mountains of Japan). Moreover, he produced numerous disciples, including Watanabe Kazan, Tachihara Kyosho, and Takaku Aigai. His younger brother Shimada Gentan, his wife Kankan, and his younger sister Shuko were also known painters.

Related Gallaries

Books

Related Works

Works by disciples of Tani Buncho

Past Exhibitions

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External Links

  • 山形県山形市にある公立美術館。「熊野舟行図」を常設展示している。

  • 台東区と早稲田大学メディアデザイン研究所(長幾朗所長)の共同研究プロジェクトの一環として制作されたサイト。

  • 栃木県宇都宮市にある美術館のコレクションデータベース。谷文晁の2作品を見ることができる。

  • 東京都台東区にある東京芸術大学大学美術館の収蔵品データベース。多数の文晁作品を見ることができる。

References

  1. 日立デジタル平凡社,平凡社
  2. 谷文晁 [画],サントリー美術館