Four gentlemen

A general term for bamboo, plum, chrysanthemum, and orchid, which are the subject matter of Oriental paintings, and was named because they are the most elegant and noble of all plants and flowers, resembling gentlemen. They were popular among literati painters in China during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and were also widely painted in Japan. They were also used to depict their unique style as ink plays, such as ink bamboo, ink plum, and ink orchid, and many surviving examples of Nanga paintings are found in Japan.

[Shinichi Nagai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東洋画の題材とされる竹、梅、菊、蘭(らん)の総称で、草木や花のなかでも気品があり高潔であるところがあたかも君子のようであるところから生まれた呼称。中国で宋(そう)・元(げん)代の文人画家の間で流行し、日本でも盛んに描かれた。また墨竹(ぼくちく)、墨梅、墨蘭(ぼくらん)など、墨戯(ぼくぎ)としてその独自の風趣を描出することが行われ、わが国では南画の作例に遺品が多い。

［永井信一］

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