Kangetsu Shitomi 関月蔀 (1747-1797)
The Kangetsu Handscroll
(Kangetsu zukan 関月図巻), detail
Japan, Edo period (1615-1868), late 18th century
Handscroll; ink, color and gold leaf on paper
Purchase, Richard Lane Collection, 2003
(2008.0685)
Little is known about the artist of this handscroll, Kangetsu Shitomi (1747-1797), beyond the fact that he was based in the Kamigata region of Kyoto and Osaka and that he was a student of Tsukioka Settei (1710-1786), whose work also is displayed in this vitrine. This scroll by Kangetsu shows Settei’s clear stylistic influence: the figures are dramatically cropped at the top and bottom and their bodies extend horizontally across the picture plane. A work of nikuhitsu (painted) ukiyo-e in the shunga genre, particularly a work of this quality, is exceedingly rare.