Shubun
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
Zen Buddhist monk and painter
of the Muromachi period
.
He was born in the late 14th century in Ōmi Province
and became a professional painter around 1403, when he made a voyage to Korea
. He returned to Japan in 1404 and settled in Kyoto
, then the capital city. He became director of the court painting bureau, established by Ashikaga shoguns
, who were influential art patrons.
Shūbun is considered to be the founder of the Chinese style of suiboku ink painting
.
Throughout his life, Shūbun was associated with the famous Zen Buddhist temple, Shōkoku-ji
. Early in his career, he studied painting there under Josetsu
, a Chinese
immigrant who became the father of the new Japanese ink painting tradition. Under Josetsu's influence, Shūbun started studying Chinese Song Dynasty
painting by masters such as Xia Gui
and Ma Yuan
; consequently, Shūbun's style was an intermediate step between early Japanese artists who imitated Chinese models very closely, and later artists, who developed a national style. Later in life, Shūbun became overseer of buildings and grounds at Shōkoku-ji.
In the 1440s he taught the young Sesshū Tōyō
, who became his best pupil and the most highly regarded Japanese artist of his time. Another important pupil may have been Kanō Masanobu
, who succeeded Shūbun as the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate, and also founded the Kanō school of painting
.
Shūbun's most well-known painting, designated as a National Treasure
in Japan, is Reading in a Bamboo Grove, now kept in the Tokyo National Museum
. The same museum houses a few other works attributed to Shūbun, among them a pair of folding screens (屏風 byōbu) titled Landscape of Four Seasons (四季山水図屏風 Shiki sansui zu byōbu). Two more pairs of folding screens depicting landscapes of the four seasons are held by the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum
. As with many Japanese and Chinese artists of this and earlier periods, many works survive that are attributed to Shūbun, but only for a few is this attribution secure. Contemporary accounts describe Shūbun as a very versatile artist, yet the only extant works with the authorship issue resolved are landscapes.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Zen Buddhist monk and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of the Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
.
He was born in the late 14th century in Ōmi Province
Omi Province
is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...
and became a professional painter around 1403, when he made a voyage to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. He returned to Japan in 1404 and settled in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, then the capital city. He became director of the court painting bureau, established by Ashikaga shoguns
Ashikaga clan
The ' was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke province .For about a century the clan was...
, who were influential art patrons.
Shūbun is considered to be the founder of the Chinese style of suiboku ink painting
Ink and wash painting
Ink and wash painting is an East Asian type of brush painting also known as ink wash painting. Only black ink — the same as used in East Asian calligraphy — is used, in various concentrations....
.
Throughout his life, Shūbun was associated with the famous Zen Buddhist temple, Shōkoku-ji
Shokoku-ji
, formally identified as , is a Buddhist temple in northern Kyoto, founded in 1382 by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.-Buddhist center:In 1383, the Zen master was designated by Yoshimitsu as founding abbot, however, Myōha insisted that the official honor be posthumously accorded to his own teacher, Musō...
. Early in his career, he studied painting there under Josetsu
Josetsu
was one of the first suiboku style Zen Japanese painters in the Muromachi Period . He was probably also a teacher of Tenshō Shūbun at the Shōkoku-ji monastery in Kyoto. A Chinese immigrant, he was naturalised in 1370 and is known as 'the father of Japanese ink painting'...
, a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
immigrant who became the father of the new Japanese ink painting tradition. Under Josetsu's influence, Shūbun started studying Chinese Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
painting by masters such as Xia Gui
Xia Gui
Xia Gui was a Chinese landscape painter of the Song Dynasty. Very little is known about his life, and only a few of his works survive, but he is generally considered one of China's greatest artists. He continued the tradition of Li Tang, further simplifying the earlier Song style to achieve a...
and Ma Yuan
Ma Yuan
Ma Yuan was a Chinese general from Shaanxi, Xingping who served during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ma Teng and Ma Chao of the Three Kingdoms period were his descendants-Life and career:...
; consequently, Shūbun's style was an intermediate step between early Japanese artists who imitated Chinese models very closely, and later artists, who developed a national style. Later in life, Shūbun became overseer of buildings and grounds at Shōkoku-ji.
In the 1440s he taught the young Sesshū Tōyō
Sesshu Toyo
was the most prominent Japanese master of ink and wash painting from the middle Muromachi period. He was born into the samurai Oda family , then brought up and educated to become a Rinzai Zen Buddhist priest...
, who became his best pupil and the most highly regarded Japanese artist of his time. Another important pupil may have been Kanō Masanobu
Kano Masanobu
was the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate and is generally considered the founder of the Kanō school of painting.The Kanō school was a style of painting that maintained dominance over 400 years from Masanobu's time up through the Meiji Restoration...
, who succeeded Shūbun as the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate, and also founded the Kanō school of painting
Kano school
The ' is one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. The Kanō school of painting was the dominant style of painting until the Meiji period.It was founded by Kanō Masanobu , a contemporary of Sesshū and student of Shūbun...
.
Shūbun's most well-known painting, designated as a National Treasure
National treasures of Japan
National Treasures are the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs...
in Japan, is Reading in a Bamboo Grove, now kept in the Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo National Museum
Established 1872, the , or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure...
. The same museum houses a few other works attributed to Shūbun, among them a pair of folding screens (屏風 byōbu) titled Landscape of Four Seasons (四季山水図屏風 Shiki sansui zu byōbu). Two more pairs of folding screens depicting landscapes of the four seasons are held by the Seikadō Bunko Art Museum
Seikadō Bunko Art Museum
is a museum of East Asian art in Setagaya, Tokyo.-History:The core collection of the museum was created by Yanosuke Iwasaki , the second president of Mitsubishi in its earliest form. "Seikado" was the studio-name of this corporate leader....
. As with many Japanese and Chinese artists of this and earlier periods, many works survive that are attributed to Shūbun, but only for a few is this attribution secure. Contemporary accounts describe Shūbun as a very versatile artist, yet the only extant works with the authorship issue resolved are landscapes.
External links
- Landscapes of the Four Seasons in the Seikado Foundation
- Ten Oxherding Pictures, attributed to Shūbun
- Landscape in the Seattle Art Museum Permanent Collection, attributed to Shūbun