Fukuhara Gogaku
Mid-Edo period (18th century)
Tangible Cultural Property, designated by Yamagata Prefecture
Donated by the Homma family
Highly regarded for his landscapes and portraits, Fukuhara Gogaku (1730–99) was a bunjinga ‘literati painting’ painter who studied under Ike no Taiga (1723–1776), one of the most prominent artists in the literati world.
This painting was created as a parting gift to Sonehara Rokei, a Sakata-born poet whom Gogaku had met at “Kontonsha,” a Classical Chinese poetry group in Osaka; at the time, Rokei had to return to his hometown due to illness. Rokei is pictured holding a seven-stringed zither, an instrument he had mastered; Gogaku, who loved sake, is depicted with a cup of sake. The work beautifully conveys the close friendship between both of them.