Shiba Kokan 司馬江漢
司馬江漢 Shiba Kokan (1747-1818)
Western-style painter of the late Edo period. Dutch scholar. A thinker. He first studied the Kano school, then ukiyoe (under the name Suzuki Harushige) and Nanpohin school, and later became friends with Hiraga Gennai and became interested in Western painting. He painted Japanese landscapes in oil. In 1783, he succeeded in etching (copperplate engraving) for the first time in Japan. He established the Western method of painting Japanese landscapes. He also worked to introduce natural science, such as the geocentric theory, and excelled at writing essays.
Western-style painter of the late Edo period. Dutch scholar. A thinker. He first studied the Kano school, then ukiyoe (under the name Suzuki Harushige) and Nanpohin school, and later became friends with Hiraga Gennai and became interested in Western painting. He painted Japanese landscapes in oil. In 1783, he succeeded in etching (copperplate engraving) for the first time in Japan. He established the Western method of painting Japanese landscapes. He also worked to introduce natural science, such as the geocentric theory, and excelled at writing essays.
