Satake Eikai (佐竹永海): Painter from Aizu in the Tradition of Tani Bunchō
Satake Eikai (佐竹永海, 1803–1874) was a Japanese painter whose activity spanned the late Edo period into the early Meiji era. He was born in the Aizu region, in the Kitakōji quarter of the castle town of Wakamatsu in what is now Fukushima. He thus belongs to those painters who left the provinces for Edo and rose there into the front rank.
At the Shazanrō Studio: Training under Tani Bunchō
At the age of twenty, Eikai entered the Shazanrō (写山楼) studio of Tani Bunchō, who was at that time the most influential painter in Edo. Eikai was counted among the outstanding pupils there. What proved formative was less a single style than Bunchō's methodical approach: the simultaneous study of several traditions, referred to in Japanese literature as hasshū kengaku (八宗兼学). In this respect, Eikai is regarded as the legitimate heir of his teacher – he mastered literati painting as well as the Chinese painting manner, the Maruyama-Shijō style, and the courtly Yamato-e tradition.
Court Painter of the Hikone Domain under Ii Naosuke
Eikai became the official painter of the Hikone domain (彦根藩御用絵師) and thus stood in the service of Ii Naosuke, who as Tairō decisively shaped the politics of the late shogunate. Later he worked for merchant families in Aizu and for patrons in Setagaya. His social standing is reflected in his associations with literati and influential figures of his time – a network that for painters of this era was both a source of commissions and a means of further training.
Yamato-e, Flower and Bird Paintings: Eikai's Pictorial Language
Eikai's Yamato-e painting is regarded as a particular strength, and he left behind numerous major works in this genre. He also painted historical and legendary figures, landscapes, and nature studies. This breadth is not a lack of focus but the explicit program of the Bunchō school: the painter was expected to be able to execute every subject in the manner appropriate to it.
The Flowering Cherry Branch as a Springtime Image
A songbird on a flowering cherry branch places an image unmistakably in spring – and thus within a few weeks of the year. This is precisely the point of the kakemono: it is hung for the season, then rolled up again and kept in its box. That hanging scrolls have survived over two centuries in often remarkably good condition is the direct result of this practice. Anyone building a collection according to the course of the year usually begins with spring motifs, since they survive in the greatest numbers; Japanese hanging scrolls of this kind are a permanent part of Densho's range.
