Ike no Taiga

Japanese, 1723–1776

Birth placeKyoto, Japan

Death placeKyoto, Japan

BiographyIke no Taiga (1723–1776) was a Japanese painter and calligrapher born in Kyoto during the Edo period. Together with Yosa Buson, he perfected the bunjinga (or nanga) genre.

Taiga studied painting and calligraphy under Yanagisawa Kien beginning in 1738. He became quite fond of the eccentric, but ancient, practice of painting with fingertips and fingernails, and became close friends with two other bunjin students, Kan Tenju and Ko Fuyo. By the age of twenty (1743), Taiga fully considered himself a member of the literati, and took the name "Ike," shortened from his family name "Ikeno", in emulation of the Chinese tendency for single-character names.

Person TypePerson