A painting school founded by Ganku 岸駒 (1749/56-1838), which was characterized by bold and vigorous depictions of animals, birds and flowers *kachōga 花鳥画. Although Ganku is the best-known artist of the school, the details of his life are unclear. Sources also give conflicting information on the date when he moved to Kyoto from his native Kanazawa to serve the aristocratic family of Arisugawa 有栖川. He also served at the imperial court and toward the end of his life received the title of Echizen no kami 越前守, or honorary governor of Echizen. Artistically, Ganku seems to be unusual in being self-taught, but was influenced somewhat by the Kano school *Kano-ha 狩野派, Chinese bird and flower painting, particularly Shen Nanpin (Jp: Shin Nampin 沈南蘋; see *Nanpin-ha 南蘋派), and also by the Maruyama-Shijō school *Maruyama Shijō-ha 円山四条派. Ganku is most famous for his paintings of tigers. The painting Tiger and Waves Tora-zu 虎図 in the British Museum (not dated) shows that Ganku was capable of rendering the animal with a solid and animate quality. Ganku's students included his son, Gantai 岸岱 (1782-1865), his son-in-law Ganryō 岸良 (1797-1852), his adopted son Renzan 連山 (1804-59), Yokoyama Kazan 横山華山 (1784-1837), Shirai Kayō 白井華陽 (fl. ca 1840-60), and Kawamura Bunpō 河村文鳳 (1779-1821). All of these artists specialized in bird and flower paintings and had close ties with the Maruyama-Shijō school.