Aōdō Denzen Explained

Aōdō Denzen
Native Name:亜欧堂 田善
Native Name Lang:ja
Other Names:Aeudoo Denzento
Birth Place:Sukagawa, Mutsu Province, Japan
Occupation:Painter, copperplate engraver
Relatives:Eiji Tsuburaya (descendant)

was a Japanese painter and copperplate engraver. A leading figure in Japanese painting during the late Edo period, he is credited with introducing Western painting to Japan.

Biography

Early life

Aōdō was born in 1748 in Sukagawa, Mutsu Province (now Fukushima Prefecture), Japan.[1] He was the second son of Sōshirō Nagata, a wealthy farm implement dealer. Upon the death of his father, he helped his older brother, Jokichi, who was a dyer, for a long time. Jokichi had a penchant for painting, and while working in the family business, Zenkichi learned painting from him.

Painting career

In his painting career, Aōdō employed Western-style painting techniques such as perspective and shading to achieve Western-style copperplate engraving. Adding Edo customs to Shiba Kokan's Western-style landscape paintings, he discovered new landscapes and perfected Western-style landscape copperplate engravings.

Legacy

Sadaki Ota's Aōdō Denzen Collection, owned by the Sukagawa museum, was declared an important culturally significant in 1986. In 2001, Eiji Tsuburaya biographers cited Aōdō as an ancestor of Tsuburaya, claiming Tsuburaya inherited Aōdō's dexterity.

References

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External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 須賀川人物伝 亜欧堂田善 . February 14, 2023 . Sukagawa City . ja.