Description
A man clad in the formal attire of a warrior gazes piercingly ahead. Takami Senseki was a samurai and a scholar of Dutch studies, which was the study of Western culture and also technology in general. This work was painted by Watanabe Kazan, a scholar of the Dutch studies and a pupil of the man depicted. It was painted when Senseki paid a formal visit to a temple in his role as representative of the feudal lord he was serving.
Though also a samurai, Kazan excelled at painting too. He established his own original style that incorporated principles of perspective and shading from Western art.Kazan left behind many portrait paintings, but this is recognized as his finest masterpiece. The artist has used simple, light brushstrokes and coloring, as well as delicate techniques to convey the sophistication and strong will of the subject.
We hope you enjoy this superlative work of art, which even offers a glimpse into a samurai's attitude towards life.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026