Enlightened artist who committed suicide over suppression of government
WATANABE Kazan
1793-1841
Name
Common name: Nobori
Name: Sadayasu
Bynames: Hakuto and Sian
Pen names: Kazan, Gukaido, and Zenrakudo
Occupation
Feudal retainer to Mikawanokuni Tahara
Biographical Sketch
He was born in a tenement in Edo (old Tokyo).
He studied painting to earn a living, studied Confucianism under Sato Issai, and under Matsuzaki Kodo later on. In 1832, he served in Edo (old Tokyo) as a Toshiyoriyaku, a government official, where he was in charge of coastal defense. He was acquainted with Takano Choei (1804 to 1850) and Koseki Sanei (1787 to 1839) and studied foreign affairs.
In 1839 he was implicated in the case of "Bansha no Goku", and kept in confinement at home under house arrest until he committed suicide in 1841 at the age of 49.
Kazan as Artist
Kazan was well known as an artist. He mastered the techniques of Western art to enhance acquire a more realistic painting technique. His portrait of "Takami Senseki" is designated as a national treasure.
Ex-libris Ownership Stamp
Along with "崋山" (kazan) and "全楽堂文庫" (zenrakudo bunko) there are known to be five other types.
Reading and the size of the ex-libris ownership stamp
全楽堂(zenrakudo): 53x19mm
田原藩士渡邉登蔵書記(tahara hanshi watanabe nobori zoshoki): 59x34mm
Collection
Among "Kyubakufu Hikitsutsugi sho" (Books Inherited from the Old Feudal Government) are some Dutch translations called "Kazan Bosshu-bon" (Kazan Suppressed Books), but it is not known if they constitute the entire old collection.
"Bansha no Goku"
In 1837, the US registered vessel the Morrison arrived in Japan to request trade, the shogunate ran them off under cannon fire in accordance with the "Gaikokusen Uchiharairei" (Edict to Repel Foreign Vessels) This is known as the "Morrison Incident." In opposition to the hard line of the shogunate, Watanabe Kazan wrote "Shinki-ron" and Takano Choei wrote "Bojutsu Yume Monogatari" representing deliberate arguments. The shogunate was alarmed at the influence of Kazan over the scholars of foreign studies and punished Kazan and Choei for this reason. "Bansha" is what the group around Kazan was called.
Portrait
Nihon taika ronshu (13), Hakubunkan, 1888-06. [雑55-12]
Reference
Suzuki, Seisetsu ed. Kazan zenshu, Kazan sosho shuppankai, 1941. [289.1-W62k-S]
Sato, Shosuke. Watanabe Kazan, Yoshikawa kobunkan, 1986. [KC154-37]
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