Okada Beisanjin

Who was Okada Beisanjin?

Okada Beisanjin, also known as Hikobe, was a Japanese painter. He is first documented as a rice merchant in Osaka in the 1770s and 1780s. His go, Beisanjin, literally meaning a mountain of rice, may either relate to his profession or reflect deference to the Northern Song period.

Okada Beisanjin was a notable bunjinga painters. The Japanese term bunjinga refers to a style of painting produced by literati. Bunjinga traces its roots to the paintings of Chinese literati of the Song dynasty.While Beisanjin employed a variety of styles in his paintings, his later works are characterized by forceful brushstrokes that create unusual forms and give texture to his images.