Kanzan and Jittoku

painting by Soga Shōhaku

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June 30, 2026

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The painting "Kanzan and Jittoku" is a notable work by the Japanese painter Soga Shōhaku. Shōhaku, active in the mid-18th century, aimed to revive the brush-style drawing of earlier masters from the Muromachi period. He excelled in ink monochrome portraits, characterized by powerful, broad brushstrokes. "Kanzan and Jittoku" depicts two Chinese monks from the Tang dynasty and exemplifies his distinctive style. Shōhaku was known for his eccentric personality and his art, which sometimes possessed a "weird and demoniac quality". He had no successors to continue his artistic lineage.1

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Soga Shōhaku
The two-scroll painting “Kanzan and Jittoku”—two Chinese monks of the T’ang dynasty—is a good example. He also drew pictures of weird and demoniac quality and, being of a haughty disposition and an eccentric, was regarded by many as either a madman or an anachronism. He had no successors…
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The two-scroll painting “Kanzan and Jittoku”—two Chinese monks of the T’ang dynasty—is a good example. He also drew pictures of weird and demoniac quality and, being of a haughty disposition and an eccentric, was regarded by many as either a madman or an anachronism. He had no successors…
Read More