Who was this person?
A potter and painter of the mid-Edo period and younger brother of the painter Ogata Kōrin. Born into a Kyoto draper's family, he learned pottery from Nonomura Ninsei and opened a kiln at Narutaki. He is known for Kenzan ware, free and elegant pottery that makes use of painting and calligraphy, including pieces painted by Kōrin and inscribed by Kenzan. In later life he moved to Edo.
| Name | Ogata Kenzan (尾形乾山) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1663 – 1743 |
| Period | Edo period |
| Birthplace | Kyoto, Yamashiro Province |
| Also known as | Shinsei |
| Main achievements |
|
He was born the third son of the Karigane-ya, a great Kyoto kimono merchant, and named Gonpei. His elder brother was Ogata Kōrin, who would become famous as a painter of the Rinpa school. The Karigane-ya was a wealthy house that supplied daimyō families and the imperial court, and the brothers grew up surrounded by beautiful kimono and crafts.
His father died, and under the will he shared the house, books and household goods with his brother Kōrin. In contrast to the flamboyant Kōrin, who soon spent his inheritance, Kenzan is said to have loved books and preferred a quiet, modest life. Though different in character, the brothers got on well.
He built a retreat called the Shūseidō south of Ninna-ji and devoted himself to Zen and study. He associated with monks of the Ōbaku school and received names such as Reikai. The master of Kyō-yaki, Nonomura Ninsei, lived nearby, and Kenzan is believed eventually to have learned pottery in earnest from him.
The court noble Nijō Tsunahira, a patron of the brothers, gave him a mountain villa at Narutaki, north-west of Kyoto, where he opened a kiln. Because it lay north-west of the capital, the direction called "inui", he took the name Kenzan and signed his works with it. This was his true start as a potter.
Around this time many collaborative works appeared in which Kenzan made the vessel and his brother Kōrin painted it. Surviving pieces include square dishes on which Kōrin freely painted figures and birds and Kenzan added inscriptions. They united the talents of the two brothers.
He moved to Nijō Chōjiya-machi in central Kyoto and began making pottery using other kilns as well. There he produced many wares for townspeople, and Kenzan ware, with its free and easy decoration and simple charm, became widely popular and formed one current of Kyō-yaki.
His brother Kōrin died, bringing to an end the collaborations that joined Kōrin's painting with Kenzan's pottery. Kenzan continued to make pottery and paintings in Kyoto afterwards and would eventually extend his work to new places.
Invited by Prince Kōkan of the Rinnōji line at Kan'ei-ji in Ueno, he moved to Iriya in Edo. There too he made pottery and trained pupils in painting and ceramics. He thus passed on the skills and taste he had developed in Kyoto to the people of the newer city of Edo.
Invited to Sano in Shimotsuke Province (Tochigi), he stayed there and taught pottery to local people. In the Shōwa period, a fierce controversy later arose over whether pieces called "Sano Kenzan", said to have been found there, were genuine.
In his last years he devoted himself to painting as well as pottery, leaving many calm works inscribed with waka or Chinese poems. Paintings said to date from the year of his death also survive. His style, uniting calligraphy, painting and vessels, was carried on by later painters of the Rinpa school.
He died in Edo. His farewell poem is said to have reflected that sorrows and joys alike, once past, are nothing but a dream of passing days. He had no children, but his name and skills were inherited by his pupils, and a line of potters bearing the Kenzan name continued for generations.
A. A potter and painter of the mid-Edo period and younger brother of the painter Ogata Kōrin. Born into a Kyoto draper's family, he learned pottery from Nonomura Ninsei and opened a kiln at Narutaki. He is known for Kenzan ware, free and elegant pottery that makes use of painting and calligraphy, including pieces painted by Kōrin and inscribed by Kenzan. In later life he moved to Edo.
A. Period: Edo period. Born in 1663, died in 1743.
A. Ogata Kenzan was born in Kyoto, Yamashiro Province.
A. The kiln he opened at Narutaki lay to the north-west of the capital, Kyoto. In the old way of naming directions the north-west was called "inui," written with the character also read "ken," so he called himself Kenzan, and the name was also given to his pottery.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Ōishi Kuranosuke (Yoshio)Ichikawa Danjūrō ITakarai KikakuTokugawa IenobuOgyū SoraiAmenomori HoshuŌoka TadasukeTokugawa Yoshimune
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.