(b Edo [now Tokyo], 15 Oct 1763; d Edo, 6 Jan 1841). Japanese painter and book designer. He was the son of the poet Tani Rokkoku (1729–1809). As his family were retainers of the Tayasu family, the descendants of the eighth Tokugawa shogun, Buncho inherited samurai status and received a small stipend to meet the responsibilities this entailed. In his youth he began studying the painting techniques of the KANO SCHOOL under Kato Bunrei (1706–82). After Bunrei’s death Buncho worked with masters of other schools, such as the literati painter Kangan Kitayama (1767–1801), and developed a wide stylistic range that included many Chinese, Japanese and even European idioms. He is best known for his crisp landscapes in the literati style (Nanga or Bunjinga; see JAPAN, §VI, 4(vi)(d)), especially those produced in the Kansei era (1789–1801) that were inspired by Chinese masters of the Ming period (1368–1644) such as Lan Ying. Among the finest is Landscape: Walking in a Cold Grove (1793; Tokyo, N. Mus.; see fig.).

• Tani Buncho
  • Japan, §VI, 4(vi)(d): Late foreign-influenced painting: Nanga
  • Japan, §XVI, 20(ii)(b): Kotai seals c 1750–c 1850
  • groups and movements
    • Kano school, §3: 1600–1868
  • pupils
    • Watanabe Kazan
  • works
    • Bamboo
    • Japan, §VI, 4(vi)(d): Late foreign-influenced painting: Nanga
    • Katsushika Hokusai, §3: Reputation and influence
    • Kimura Kenkado
  • writings
    • Japan, §XVIII, 2: Art training and education, before 1868