Naotake Odano

A Western-style painter from the late Edo period. Born into a samurai family in Kakunodate, Akita domain. His childhood name was Choji, his common name was Takesuke, and his pen name was Koari. He also had the pen names Uyou, Gyokusen, Rokuatei, and Rankeido. He had a talent for art from an early age, and in 1773 (An'ei 2), he learned Western painting techniques from Hiraga Gennai, who came to Akita. He passed this knowledge on to the domain lord Satake Shozan and Kakunodate Castle lord Satake Yoshimune, and established the Akita Ranga school. In the same year, he went to Edo at the domain lord's order, and continued his study of Western-style painting under Gennai. In 1774, he drew illustrations for Sugita Genpaku's Kaitai Shinsho (New Book of Anatomy). He was then promoted to the domain lord's aide, but in late 1779, he incurred the anger of the domain lord and returned to Japan, dying the following year in his hometown at just 32 years old. His paintings are a combination of traditional Oriental painting and Western techniques, and are characterized by meticulous depiction and high elegance. Toward the end of his short life, he painted Japanese landscapes using Western techniques and mentored Shiba Kokan, becoming the de facto father of Edo-style Western-style painting.

[Fujio Naruse]

"Catalogue of Akita Ranga (1974, Sanichi Shobo)" by Momosuke Ota, Rintaro Takehana, and Fujio Naruse ; "Western-style Paintings of Edo (1977, Shogakukan)" by Fujio Naruse

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の洋風画家。秋田藩領角館(かくのだて)の武士の家に生まれる。幼名長治、通称武助、字(あざな)を子有といい、羽陽、玉泉、麓蛙亭(ろくあてい)、蘭慶堂(らんけいどう)と号した。幼少から画才があり、1773年（安永2）秋田にきた平賀源内から西洋画法を学び、それを藩主佐竹曙山(しょざん)や角館城代佐竹義躬(よしみ)に伝えて、秋田蘭画(らんが)の一派を開いた。同年藩主の命令で江戸に出て、源内のもとで洋風画の研究を進め、74年杉田玄白が『解体新書』を出版するとき、挿絵を描いた。ついで藩主の側近にまで昇進したが、79年暮れ、その怒りに触れて帰国し、翌年わずか32歳の生涯を郷里で閉じた。彼の絵は在来の東洋画に西洋画法を加味したものであるが、綿密な描写と高い気品に特色がある。短い生涯の最晩期に、西洋画法による日本風景図を描き、司馬江漢を指導して、江戸系洋風画の事実上の祖となった。

［成瀬不二雄］

『太田桃介・武塙林太郎・成瀬不二雄著『図録・秋田蘭画』（1974・三一書房）』▽『成瀬不二雄著『江戸の洋風画』（1977・小学館）』

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