Kantenju

Kan Tenju was a calligrapher born in Matsusaka and was also a close friend of Ike Taiga.His real surname was Aoki, but he took the surname Kan because he were descendants of King Yosho of Baekje.Kan Tenju's calligraphy and paintings can be seen in various places throughout Matsusaka city.At the top of this work is the poem "Fisherman" by Liu Zongyuan, a poet and politician representing the Tang Dynasty of China, followed by a poem written in the latter half of his life by Wang Wei, a painter, poet and high-ranking official of the Tang Dynasty, entitled "Composed by the Riverside Manor" ("Piles of Rain Falls on the River")Wang Wei later came to be known as the father of Southern Song painting (Nanga), and this work by Han Tianshou belongs to that lineage.The broad brushstrokes, using the three colors of blue, brown, and ink, are appealing and even give the impression of imitating the style of Ike no Taiga, who perfected Nanga painting.