Takaku Aigai - Takaku Aigai

A Southern painter from the late Edo period. Born in Nasu, Shimotsuke (Tochigi Prefecture). His given name was Ziyuan, and he was commonly known as Shuho. His first pen name was Josho, and later he was known as Aigai Sanjin and Sorin Gaishi. In his youth, he studied with painters in his hometown, and in 1823 (Bunsei 6) at the age of 27, he went to Edo and became a disciple of Tani Buncho. However, he was not satisfied with Buncho's style of painting that combined the northern and southern styles, and he studied under Ike no Taiga, and was also devoted to Wu Zhen of the Yuan dynasty and Shen Zhou of the Ming dynasty. He made an effort to study the classics by copying them, especially under the patronage of the wealthy merchant and collector Kikuchi Tanga. At around age 33, he traveled to Hokuriku and Oshu, and at around age 40, he traveled to Kyoto and Osaka, but from age 42 onwards he settled in Edo and became close friends with Watanabe Kazan, Tsubaki Chinzan and Tachihara Kyosho. When Kazan was arrested in Bansha Prison (1839), he worked hard to rescue him. Although his paintings are somewhat formal, they also show a serious style that suggests he had studied the classics, and one of his representative works is "Three Friends in Winter". His pupils were Taniguchi Aizan and Takakuwa Ryuko, who later turned to the style of restored Yamato-e painting.

[Hoshino Suzu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の南画家。下野(しもつけ)（栃木県）那須(なす)の人。名は徴、字(あざな)は子遠、通称を秋輔(しゅうほ)という。初めの号は如樵(じょしょう)、のち靄厓山人、疎林外史など。若年のころは郷里の画家につき、1823年（文政6）27歳のとき江戸に出て谷文晁(ぶんちょう)門に入るが、文晁の南北折衷画風に飽き足りず、池大雅(いけのたいが)に私淑し、また元(げん)の呉鎮(ごちん)、明(みん)の沈周(しんしゅう)に傾倒する。とくに大コレクターであった豪商菊池淡雅の庇護(ひご)のもとに、臨模による古典研究に努める。33歳ごろには北陸、奥羽へ、40歳ごろには京坂へ遊歴するが、42歳以後は江戸に居を定めて渡辺崋山(かざん)や椿椿山(つばきちんざん)、立原杏所(たちはらきょうしょ)らと親しく交際。蛮社(ばんしゃ)の獄(ごく)（1839）で崋山が逮捕された際には、その救出活動に尽力した。画(え)は形式的なところもあるが、古典研鑽(けんさん)をうかがわせるまじめな作風をみせ、代表作に『歳寒三友図』などがある。弟子に谷口靄山(あいざん)、のちに復古大和(やまと)絵に転じた高久隆古(りゅうこ)がいる。

［星野　鈴］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例