Lot 200 D α

The Kanbun Master was an Edo artist whose name remains unknown. He was adept in painting and woodblock printing in the pre-ukiyo-e era. In all, about 50 illustrated books can be attributed to him (shunga albums, novels, guidebooks, poetry anthologies, etc.), as well as paintings and single-sheet woodblock prints. None of the known works are signed. His prints are done in sumizuri, to some of which some colour was added. It was Richard Lane who gave the artist, who is only identifiable by his style, the name “Kambun Master” after the period (1661-1673) in which he was almost exclusively active.

The style of the Kanbun Master is bold and powerful, primitive if you will, embracing a dramatic intensity. It had a strong impact on the development of ukiyo-e and the so-called ukiyo-e school. His works greatly influenced Hishikawa Moronou, who is generally seen as the inventor of the ukiyo-e genre. Whether Moronobu and the Kanbun Master knew each other personally, cannot be ascertained. Possibly, the influence came only through the published works. Their styles are so similar, though, that works by the Kanbun Master are sometimes attributed to Moronobu. Nothing further is known about the life of the artist.