Hermits, Zen Priests, birds and animals

Kano Sansetsu succeeded his father, Kano Sanraku (ca. 1559-1635), as the second head of the local, Kyoto-based branch of the preeminent Kano family workshop in 1635. The other branch of the family had relocated to Edo (Tokyo) to work for the Tokugawa shoguns. The most important family of professional painters in Japanese history, stretching from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, the House of Kano served as official painters to the imperial and military elite for over four centuries. Sansetsu was renowned for his lavish, large-scale paintings characterized by vivid colors and use of gold. However, he also displayed mastery in smaller-scale ink paintings, as exemplified by the paintings presented here. His ink paintings are distinguished by the simple yet powerful brushstrokes and striking contrasts.
In addition to his mastery of the family's artistic style, Sansetsu also displayed scholarly pursuits and contributed to the creation of the draft for the History of Painting in This Realm (Honcho gashi), which marked Japan's first comprehensive history of painting. This work was eventually completed and published by his son, Kano Eino (1631-1697) in 1693.