From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ike no Taiga
Ike no Taiga
ters), Ike was close to many of the prominent social and
artistic circles in Kyoto, and in other parts of the country,
throughout his lifetime.
Life
Ike no Taiga was born into a poor and socially humble
family; his father was a farmer on the outskirts of Kyoto.
The family moved into Kyoto proper some years before
Taiga’s birth, possibly to escape famine. His father found
work at the silver mint, which granted his family some
small degree of wealth, but he died when Taiga was three
years of age. Taiga’s widowed mother somehow managed
to afford to provide him with good teachers, in all the
classical Japanese and Chinese disciplines. At age six, he
began receiving instruction in calligraphy and religious
matters at the Manpuku-ji Zen temple. He would contin-
ue to foster strong connections with this temple for the
remainder of his life.
By age fourteen, Taiga was a professional artist and
distinguished calligrapher. He ran a small fan-painting
shop in Kyoto, and engraved artists’ and collectors’ seals
as well. It was an encounter with Yanagisawa Kien, a ma-
jor social and artistic figure of the time, that initiated
Taiga’s introduction to the world of the bunjin.
Taiga studied painting and calligraphy under Kien be-
ginning in 1738. He became quite fond of the eccentric,
but ancient, practice of painting with fingertips and fin-
gernails, and became close friends with two other bunjin
students, Kan Tenju and Kō Fuyō. By the age of twenty
(1743), Taiga fully considered himself a member of the
literati, and took the name "Ike," shortened from his
family name "Ikeno" (池野), in emulation of the Chinese
tendency for single-character names.
Taiga returned to Kyoto and to his fan shop in the
early 1740s. Though the bunjin lifestyle dictated an avoid-
ance of commercialism, Taiga had no other source of in-
come and so he continued to sell his works and various
artistic services, much like his contemporary and friend
Fishing in Springtime, Cleveland Museum of Art Yosa Buson. He married an artist and tea house propri-
etor in 1746, who went by the art-name (gō) Gyokuran.
Ike no Taiga (池大雅, 1723–1776) was a Japanese The pair quickly became well-renowned in the social cir-
painter and calligrapher born in Kyoto during the Edo cles and artistic community of Kyoto. Two years into his
period. Together with Yosa Buson, he perfected the bun- marriage, Taiga set off on a series of journeys, another
jinga (or nanga) genre. The majority of his works reflected major element of the bunjin lifestyle. He sought to com-
his passion for classical Chinese culture and painting mune with nature, to glean inspiration for his art, and
techniques, though he also incorporated revolutionary most of all, to simply become a more cultured and experi-
and modern techniques into his otherwise very tradi- enced individual. After travels through Kanazawa, Nikkō,
tional paintings. As a bunjin (文人, literati, man of let- and Mt. Fuji, Taiga stayed for a time in Edo. There, he pro-
duced paintings and calligraphic pieces, and also learned
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ike no Taiga
about Dutch art from a number of Rangaku (Dutch learn-
ing) scholars, including Noro Genjō.
References
Taiga would continue to travel and to climb moun- • Rosenfield, John M. (1999). Extraordinary Persons:
tains for much of the rest of his life, often accompanied Works by Eccentric, Nonconformist Japanese Artists
by bunjin colleagues. For a time, he took on the gō of of the Early Modern Era (1580–1868) in the Collection
Sangaku Dōja (三岳道者, "Pilgrim of the Three Peaks"). of Kimiko and John Powers. Cambridge,
He would often collaborate with his colleagues on joint Massachusetts: Harvard Art Museums.
works of art during this trips; the Jūben jūgi-jō (Album of
Ten Conveniences and Ten Pleasures) was created in 1771, as
the result of one of these collaborations. The Jūben jūgi-jō,
External links
illustrated by Taiga and Yosa Buson, and containing text • Ike Taiga exhibition description at the Philadelphia
by Chinese writer Li Yu (1611-c.1680), acclaims and cele- Museum of Art
brates a life of simple pleasures and communing with na- Persondata
ture. The book is widely regarded today as providing an Name Ike no Taiga
exemplary insight into the bunjin philosophy.
Alternative names
Another artist who would have a dramatic influence
on Taiga a little later in life, after his return to Kyoto, Short description Painter
was Hakuin Ekaku, who stayed briefly at Taiga’s home Date of birth 1723
in 1752. Though they met only briefly, Taiga began to Place of birth
use elements of Hakuin’s personal style, and he soon af-
terwards sought out many of Hakuin’s disciples, working Date of death 1776
with them and inscribing one another’s works. Place of death
Some of Taiga’s works have been classified National
Treasures by the Japanese government.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ike_no_Taiga&oldid=463332237"
Categories:
• Japanese painters
• 1723 births
• 1776 deaths
• National Treasures of Japan
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