It’s Day 197 and I have to rush out and have dinner, go to class and say bye bye to my good friend Mark who was visiting this past week.  Join me in honoring Kishi Ganku today!  I thoroughly enjoyed creating this piece today.  He died in 1839 and I couldn’t really find any photos of him.  His paintings are amazing.  I never thought I’d attempt to emulate something like this, but it was a joy.

Ganku 岸駒 (1749 or 1756 – January 19, 1839), or more formally Kishi Ganku, was a noted Japanese painter of the late Edo period and founder of the Kishi school of painting. He is perhaps best known for his paintings of tigers.

Ganku was born in Kanazawa as Kishi Saeki, studied painting styles including those of Chinese

painter Shen Nanpin (沈南蘋) and the Maruyama school, and arrived in Kyoto around 1780.

By the late 18th century, Ganku’s paintings were appreciated by patrons that included the imperial family, leading to a position under Prince Arisugawa. His students included his son, Gantai 岸岱 (1782–1865), son-in-law Ganryou 岸良 (1797–1852), adopted son Renzan 連山 (1804–59), Yokoyama Kazan 横山華山 (1784–1837), Shirai Kayou 白井華陽 (fl. ca 1840-60), and Kawamura Bumpou 河村文鳳 (1779–1821). He was made honorary governor of Echizen (Echizen no kami, 越前守) toward the end of his life.

Ganku died on January 19, 1839, in Kyoto.

Biography above is from wikipedia.

Biography below is from Saru Gallery’s website.

The first part of Ganku’s life is less well documented than the second part. Both 1749 and

1756 are given as his birthdates. It is thought that he went to Kyoto to study painting in 1773. It is certain he became an official of the Imperial Household, serving Prince Arisugawa, and was appointed Echizen-no-suke, honorary governor of Echizen in 1804. From 1809 to 1813 he lived in Kanazawa, and in the last decades of his life he lived in Iwakura, North of Kyoto.

 

Artistically speaking he first started Kano painting, then painting in the Chinese manner. Later, under the influence of the Maruyama and Shijô schools of painting he developed his own style of painting, a rough and vigorous style, and founded the Kishi school. He is mostly admired for his animal paintings, and he specialized in tiger paintings. He had a number of gifted pupils, Kishi Gantai, Kishi Ganryô (who was later adopted by him) and Kishi Renzan, to name but a few.

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I hope you enjoy my piece and I’ll see you tomorrow on Day 198!