Honchō gashi 本朝画史

Keywords
Art History
Painting
Document

History of Painting in Japan, a late 17th century compendium of artists' biographies and the history of painting in Japan. Begun by Kano Sansetsu 狩野山雪 (1589/90-1651), head of the second generation of the Kyoto branch of the Kano school *Kyōgano 京狩野, his son Einō 永納 (1631-97) supplemented the work with the help of Kurokawa Dōyū 黒川道祐 (d. 1691). Although bearing a preface by Hayashi Gahō 林鵞峯 (dated 1678), it was originally published in 1691 as Honchō gaden 本朝画伝. It is the first complete history of Japanese painting. The first volume presents an overview of the early painting tradition. The second to fifth volumes contain biographies of more than 400 painters: Volume 2 includes 147 biographies of Nara and Heian periods artists; Volume 3 has biographies of 100 Kamakura and Muromachi artists; Volume 4 includes biographies of the *Kano-ha 狩野派 and *Hasegawa-ha 長谷川派 artists as well as a section on themes and techniques associated with them; and Volume 5 includes biographies of miscellaneous artists as well as a final section on tools and pigments. In 1691, Einō added a final volume, Honchō gain 本朝画印 (Painter Seals of Japan), which reproduces signatures and seals, and then retitled the whole work Honchō gashi when reissuing it in 1693. As a work by Kano artists, Honchō gashi understandably emphasizes the role of Kano painters. Moreover, even within the Kano school some branches are given great attention and particular artists are praised, while others are largely ignored or criticized based on competitive biases within the school. Although an extremely valuable source of information, Honchō gashi remains a highly subjective reflection of the particular values of Sansetsu and Einō. A supplement, Zoku-Honchō gashi 続本朝画史 (Continued History of Painting in Japan), by the Edo connoisseur Hiyama Tansai 桧山坦斉 (1774-1842) was published in 1819. It has biographies of 483 painters beginning with 7th century Buddhist artists and ending with Einō. Honchō gashi is reprinted in Sakazaki Tan 坂崎坦, ed., Nihon garon taikan 日本画論大観 2: pp. 953-1054, 1385-1443.