Nanga
Autumn landscapeSigned: Itsuun
Seals: Itsuun, Yôchiku noin
Technique: sumi on silk 119.2 x 43.3
Date: mid autmn 1865
Mounting: green brocade 197 x 57.9
Condition: browned, otherwise good
Itsuun was born in Nagasaki, the third son of family of doctors. He became a painter, but he never abandoned his medical profession. He studied kokugaku (National studies) and kept relations with the Kangien, a school for (Neo-) Confucian studies. Through these connections Itsuun found many long lasting friendships with a.o. Chikuden, Kyôu and Gogaku.
Itsuun was one of the three celebrated painters from Nagasaki; the other two were Gomon and Hidaka Tetsuô (1791-1871). Often they were chosen to be the hosts for colleagues from other parts of Japan visiting Nagasaki. And Nagasaki had a lot of visitors. Due to its harbour it had played an important role for a long time in many fields: poetry, painting and calligraphy were just a few of them. Because of the presence of China and Holland Nagasaki was the eye on the world. The Nagasaki painters were its ambassadors. Their knowledge of Chinese painting meant a strong influence on a number of the later generations of Nanga artists, like Yasuda Rôzan (1830-82), Nagai Unpei (1833-99) and Tomioka Tessai (1836-1924).
After a trip to Sendai and Matsushima Itsuun never returned to Nagasaki because the ship he boarded in Yokohama simply vanished.
Reference:
Berry & Morioka ’08 p. 274 (# 32)
Rosenfield ’99 B45
Roberts p. 59
Araki p. 2227
Mitchell p. 74 ff.
Price: ON REQUEST
