Ogata Kenzan (尾形乾山)
Kenzan OGATA (1663 - July 22, 1743) was a painter and potter in the Edo Period.
He was born as the third son of 'Kariganeya,' kimono fabrics dealer in Kyoto. Korin OGATA was his elder brother. It is said that Kenzan had a reflective personality, and he was fond of reading as well as a recluse, in contrast to his brother Korin, who was a playboy and a showoff.. When he was 37 years old, he was presented a mountain villa at Narutaki, in the northwestern part of Kyoto (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City) by Tsunahira NIJO, who had been favoring the Ogata brothers, and he built a kiln there. The place corresponds to the northwest direction (the direction specified with the letter 乾) of the capital, and therefore he fixed his pen name as Kenzan (乾山: northwestern mountain). In 1712, when he was 50 years old, he moved to Nijo Chojiya-cho (present Nijo-dori Street Teramachi Nishi-iru Kitagawa) in Kyoto City, and created many artistic pieces. The free and fluid multicolored illustration characterizes his style. Later, in 1731, when he was 69 years old, he moved to Iriya in the city of Edo, and died at the age of 81.
His name, Kenzan, was succeeded from generation after generation. Kenzan VI (1851-1923) is the master of Bernard LEACH.
Representative works
Autumn Flowerbascket (Fukuoka Art Museum: important cultural property)
Kinginai-e Shojumon Futamono (Covered ceramic container with pine tree illustration in gold, silver and indigo blue) (Idemitsu Museum of Art: important cultural property)
Sabiaikin-e Egawari-sara (a set of dishes with a different illustration in rusty red, indigo blue and gold) (Nezu Museum: important cultural property)