Tani Bunchō

Tani Bunchō (谷 文晁, October 15, 1763 – January 6, 1841) was a Japanese literati (bunjin) painter and poet.

In his youth he began studying the painting techniques of the Kanō school under Katō Bunrei (1706–82).

After Bunrei's death, Bunchō worked with masters of other schools, such as the literati painter Kitayama Kangen (1767–1801), and developed a wide stylistic range that included many Chinese, Japanese and European idioms.

Unlike most bunjinga painters of his time, however, Bunchō was an extremely eclectic artist, painting idealized Chinese landscapes, actual Japanese sites, and poetically inspired traditional scenery.

He also painted portraits of his contemporaries (such as Ono Ranzan and Kimura Kenkadō), as well as imagined images of such Chinese literati heroes as Su Shi and Tao Yuanming.