Saru Gallery
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Biography Kimura, Buzan 木村 武山 (1876 - 1942)

Kimura Buzan was born in Ibaraki Prefecture. He began studying painting under the Nanga painter Sakurai Karyo. In 1890 he moved to Tokyo to enter the Kaisei School. Buzan also studied at Kawabata Gyokusho's school of painting, the Tenshin-sha. In 1891 he entered the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, graduating in 1896. In 1898 his painting won a prize at the Japan Painting Association Fair and he participated as an associate member in the foundation of the Nihon Bijutsuin or Japan Art Institute, of which he became a full member in 1906. The same year he moved with his family to Izura along with Yokoyama Taikan, Shimomura Kanzan, and Hishida Shunso. With the establishment of the Bunten in 1907 Buzan represented the Nihon Bijutsuin at the exhibition, winning third place for his painting. He continued to exhibit at the Bunten, moving back to Tokyo in 1912. When the Nihon Bijutsuin reorganized in 1915 Buzan participated as a senior member (dojin). Starting in 1931 Buzan became in engaged in the painting of a mural for main hall of Koyasan Kongobu Temple, a work that was only completed in 1934. He became a councilor of the Teiten in 1935 and exhibited at the reformed Teiten in the following year. 1936 was also his final participation in the Nihon Bijutsuin's Inten exhibition. In 1937 Buzan collapsed from a cerebral haemorrhage and convalesced in Kasama. Losing the use of his right hand in 1938 he continued to work with his left, adopting the art name Hidari-Buzan (or Sabuzan, literally Left-handed Buzan). Buzan passed away on November 29, 1942 in Tokyo at the age of 66. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tokyo National Museum. Reference: Kagedo.com - Nihonga screens. See also Roberts p.78.