Akita ranga

Some of the chief features that distinguish Akita ranga from traditional Japanese painting (nihonga) are the inclusion of shadows, the use of perspective, reflections in water, and the use of blue for sky and sea.

The school got its start when rangaku (Dutch studies) scholar Hiraga Gennai was invited to help advise the domain on the management of its copper mines.

Though Gennai is known primarily as a physician, botanist and inventor, he was a ranga painter as well, and mentored Shozan in Western artistic techniques.

Odano Naotake, one of Shozan's chief retainers, was then sent to Edo to live and study with Gennai for five years, and it is believed that he likely came into contact with a number of other artists and rangaku scholars during this time.

Since its members were all fairly wealthy, and of the samurai class, they had little need to sell their works, but their influence was felt by some commercial artists, including Shiba Kōkan.