Saru Gallery
       Japanese Prints & Japanese Paintings

Biography Chikudo, Kishi 竹堂 岸 (1826 - 1897)

Kishi Chikudō was born in Hikone (Shiga prefecture) in 1826. He first studied with Nakajima Antai, a Kanō master, until he moved to Kyoto in 1842, where he became a pupil of Kanō Eigaku and in 1843 of Kishi Renzan (1805-1859). Renzan made him his heir in 1854. Thus, Chikudō became the fourth generation head of the Kishi school.
In 1855 Chikudō participated in the decoration of the Kyoto imperial palace. This imperial commission provided him and his school with a prestigious position in the art world. In his lifetime, Chikudō, Mori Kansai, and Kōno Bairei were regarded as the three greatest painters of Kyoto. His desire to develop an innovative, more individual style made him an important figure in the development of early Nihonga in de first half of the Meiji era.
Chikudō was probably the first in a long line of prominent Kyoto artists who were engaged in textile design. This encounter was not only fortuitous for the textile industry, but also introduced Chikudō to the world of Western magazines and Western style perspective. In this field he anticipated Takeuchi Seihō’s painting of Western landscapes.
The Kishi school is well-known for its tiger paintings, in which Chikudō was a master as well. His subjects include other animals, cherry blossom, moonlit scenes and bird & flower designs. He laid strong emphasis on shasei (sketching from life), which he passed on to his followers of the next generation. He created a number of masterpieces in the last decade of his life, the intensity of which probably led to a mental breakdown.
Kishi Chikudō prepared the way for many distinguished painters. His best known pupil is Nishimura Goun.

References:
Araki, Tsune (ed), Dai Nihon shôga meika taikan, Tokyo 1975 (1934), p. 652-657
Roberts, Laurance P., A Dictionary of Japanese artists, New York, 1976, p. 13