Ogata Kenzan

"Flower baskets"

Bowl

Ogata Kenzan ( Japanese 尾形 乾 山 ; real first name Shinsei ( 深省 ); born 1663 in Kyoto ; died July 22, 1743 ) was a Japanese potter and painter. Kenzan is an important representative of the Japanese art movement Rimpa, founded by his older brother Kōrin .

Live and act

Kenzan was born the third son of Ogata Sōken, a wealthy merchant who ran a shop called Karigana-ya that sold clothes. He was the younger brother of the painter Ogata Kōrin . Kenzan learned the potters first as a hobby under Hon'ami Kōho ( 本 阿 弥 光甫 ; 1601-1682), a grandson of the sword expert and painter Hon'ami Kōetsu and under Nonomura Ninsei (or possibly under Nonomura Ninsei II.). But then economic reasons forced him to earn his living with pottery.

In 1699 Kenzan set up a kiln in Narutaki in the western part of Kyoto, where he produced pieces he called Kenzan-yaki. In 1712 he moved to a location near the intersection of Nijō and Chōjiya-machi in Kyōto and produced Kenzan-yaki in large quantities. Around 1731 he went to Edo and built a kiln in Iriya, an area that was part of Kan'ei-ji Temple . He stayed in the Kantō area until his death .

Kenzan's work shows the strong influence of his teacher Nonomura, but developed his own style, like his five bowls ( 銹 絵 染 付 金 彩 絵 替 土 器皿 , Sabi-e sometsuke kinsai e-gawaridoki-zara ) in the Nezu Museum with their waves and Show flowers, and the hexagonal bowl on iron glaze with the god of longevity ( 銹 絵 寿 老人 図 六角 皿 , Sabi-e Jurōjin-zu rokkaku-zara ) in the possession of Ōkura Shūkokan , whereby the representation of Jurō comes from Kōrin.

It is believed that Kenzan learned painting under Kōrin. But in contrast to Kōrin's strong style, Kenzan made his pictures more lyrical with elements from calligraphy. Known among his pictures is the “flower baskets” ( 花 籠 図 , Hanakago-zu ) from the Matsunaga collection in the Fukuoka Art Museum and the “poems with flowers and birds of the twelve months” ( 十二 か 月 和 歌 花鳥 図 , Jūnikagetsu waka kachō -zu ) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. - All mentioned objects in Japan are registered as Important Cultural Property .

Remarks

1. ↑ The stage name Kenzan ( 乾 山 ) means mountain ( 山 ) in the northwest ( 乾 ). What is meant is the location of his kiln in Kyoto.

swell

• Hiroshi Mizuo. Edo painting: Sotatsu and Korin . Translated by John M. Shields, Weatherhill, New York 1972.
• Kobayashi Tadashi and Murashige Yasushi (Eds.): Ogata Kenzan . In: Rimpa (5 volumes). Shikōsha, Kyoto 1989–1992.
• Tazawa, Yutaka: Ogata Kenzan . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .

Web links

Commons : Ogata Kenzan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Ogata is the family name, Kenzan the first name.