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Ito Jakuchu

Ito Jakuchu (1716 - 1800) was active/lived in Japan.  Ito Jakuchu is known for Ink on paper bird and flower paintings.

According to a biography written by his close friend the Zen monk Daiten Kenjo (1719-1801) in 1766, who would later become abbot of Shokoku-ji, Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) 'could not bear' to paint human forms. Famed primarily for his meticulous polychrome renderings of birds and flowers (doshoku sai-e), these hanging scrolls depicting genre scenes in black ink on paper are therefore a rarity amongst Jakuchu's oeuvre, and offer an intriguing insight into the artist's deep involvement with Zen ink painting traditions.

In one of these two paintings, a performer balances on one leg atop a stacked pile of bound bundles of wood. His head tilted back, he supports the base of a long wooden rod on his chin, on top of which balances a rice bowl. Oblivious to this precarious stunt, a wood vendor (oharame) sits resting on an adjacent pile of wood, whilst another carries more on her back.

In the other, a pilgrim offers a gourd to a travelling   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 3647 characters.]  Artist bio

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Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Ito Jakuchu available:    Soga Shohaku,  Yosa (Taniguchi) Buson,  Ike no Taiga,  Sengai Gibon,  Ekaku Hakuin,  Takanori Ogisu,  Nansyu Takamori Saigo,  Kyosai Kawanabe,  Hanjiro Sakamoto,  Nagazawa Rosetsu,  Kunio Makino,  Junji Kawashima,  Kaii Higashiyama,  Yoshitatsu Yanagihara,  Chinami Nakajima,  Kei Shibusawa,  Denchu Hirakushi,  Hiroshi Kanosue,  Matazo Kayama,  Hogai Kano,  Churyo Sato,  Torrents Llado,  Seiji Chokai,  Taikan Yokoyama



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Facts about Ito Jakuchu

   Ito Jakuchu  Born:  1716 - Kyoto, Japan
Died:   1800 - Kyoto, Japan
Known for:  Ink on paper bird and flower paintings
Name variants:  Jakuchu Ito

Biography from Bonhams Bond Street

According to a biography written by his close friend the Zen monk Daiten Kenjo (1719-1801) in 1766, who would later become abbot of Shokoku-ji, Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) 'could not bear' to paint human forms. Famed primarily for his meticulous polychrome renderings of birds and flowers (doshoku sai-e), these hanging scrolls depicting genre scenes in black ink on paper are therefore a rarity amongst Jakuchu's oeuvre, and offer an intriguing insight into the artist's deep involvement with Zen ink painting traditions.

In one of these two paintings, a performer balances on one leg atop a stacked pile of bound bundles of wood. His head tilted back, he supports the base of a long wooden rod on his chin, on top of which balances a rice bowl. Oblivious to this precarious stunt, a wood vendor (oharame) sits resting on an adjacent pile of wood, whilst another carries more on her back.

In the other, a pilgrim offers a gourd to a travelling samurai whilst a sparrow flies overhead. The humorous and highly abbreviated figures are painted with a deliberate naivety; their obscured faces perhaps reflecting Jakuchu's aversion to painting the details of the human figure.

Jakuchu's mastery of suibokuga is evident in his striking juxtaposition of various ink tones and brush techniques, with block shapes of saturated black robes opening onto white, child-like limbs delicately outlined in pale ink, whilst sharp flicks of black are used to depict the inro, twigs, swords and sandals. The bundles of wood are depicted with a distinctive wet brush technique known as sujime-gaki, for which Jakuchu is renowned.



Sujime-gaki (split-ink method) was an unorthodox technique, avoided by more mainstream artists such as the Kano School, who labelled it as an 'undesireable technique'. It was widely and effectively used by Jakuchu, notably in his monochrome depictions of chrysanthemums (see illustrations in The Paintings of Jakuchu, Money L. Hickman, Tokyo, 1989, p.137).

Such versatility in ink work is found throughout Jakuchu's painting, and communicates his familiarity with a whole range of suibokuga and polychrome painters, from Chinese artists of the Song and Ming dynasties, to more contemporary Japanese artists such as Ogata Korin (1678-1716). Moreover, the striking composition of these hanging scrolls even merits comparison with individualist Chinese ink painters such as Bada Shanren (1626-1705).

Monochrome ink painting, or suibokuga, rose to prominence in Japan from China along with Chan (Zen) Buddhism under the patronage of the Ashikaga shoguns (1338-1573). The study of Chinese originals by Japanese Zen Buddhist monks soon gave rise to an independent Japanese suibokuga painting tradition, epitomised by artists such as Sesshu and Shubun.

By Jakuchu's lifetime in the 18th century, Kyoto was home to an entire legacy of Chinese and Japanese ink paintings, the majority of which were available for Jakuchu's personal perusal via his strong associations with the Zen clergy. Jakuchu's passion for painting was noteworthy from childhood, but as the first son and heir to a family-run wholesale grocery business in Kyoto, he was brought up to take over the business upon his father's death. When this eventually happened, Jakuchu was just 23 years of age, and so he was unable to fully devote himself to painting until he passed control of the business to his younger brother in 1756. 


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