Gessen

A painter-monk of the late Edo period. His secular surname was Tan'ya. He was born in Nagoya, Owari. His given name was Genzui, his pen name was Tamanari, and his pen name was Gessen. His other pen names were Jakushoshujin and Honjoju. He became a monk at the age of 10. He went to Edo and entered Zojoji Temple, where he studied painting under Sakurai Setsuka, and was given the pen name Gessen by Daisojo Myoyo. He later went to Kyoto, where he was treated well by Daisojo Shoyo of Chion-in. He became a pupil of Maruyama Okyo, and studied the brushwork of Sesshu and the painting styles of the Yuan and Ming dynasties, while also studying privately under Yosa Buson, and established a family with a sharp brushwork style that incorporated a variety of styles. At first, he was called "beggar Gessen" by the public because he was greedy for money to paint, but in his later years he used the money he earned to rebuild Jakusho-ji Temple in Yamada, Ise, and made great efforts in social work such as providing relief to the poor. He painted unique landscapes, people, flowers and birds, and haiku paintings, but he was particularly skilled in landscapes, and left behind many works. His works include "Ressen zusan" and "Gessen gashu".

[Reiko Tamamushi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の画僧。俗姓は丹家氏。尾張(おわり)名古屋に生まれる。名は玄瑞、字(あざな)は玉成、号は月僊。別号に寂照主人、本祥寿がある。10歳のとき出家。江戸へ出て増上寺に入り、桜井雪館のもとで絵を学び、大僧正妙誉より月僊の号を与えられた。のち上洛(じょうらく)して、知恩院大僧正擅誉に厚く遇された。円山応挙(まるやまおうきょ)の門に入り、また雪舟の筆意や元(げん)・明(みん)の画風を学ぶ一方、与謝蕪村(よさぶそん)に私淑して、さまざまな流派を取り込んだ鋭い筆法の作風で一家をなした。初め画料をむさぼるために、世人より「乞食(こじき)月僊」と称されたが、晩年にはその画料を資として、伊勢(いせ)山田の寂照寺を再興したほか、貧民の救済などの社会事業に大いに努力した。独特の山水、人物、花鳥、また俳画を描いているが、とくに山水に長じ、多くの作品を残している。『列仙図賛』『月僊画譜』などの著作がある。

［玉蟲玲子］

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