Ito Jakuchu’s Naturalist Paintings
From 15 September until 14 October 2018, the Petit Palais showcased the artist's iconic ‘Images of the Colourful Realm of Living Beings.’
Ito Jakuchu, ‘Nandina and Rooster’, Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan), Tokyo, before 1765
Ito Jakuchu was passionate about painting from childhood. While at the Shokoku-ji Zen monastery in Kyoto, he devoted himself to this art, taking inspiration from paintings of flowers and birds from China from the Song dynasty (960-1279) and possibly also the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
Parisians had the chance to discover his ultimate masterpiece on display at the Petit Palais, Images of the Colourful Realm of Living Beings (Doshoku Saie), comprised of thirty hanging scrolls and completed from 1757 and 1766, which this fervent Buddhist offered to Shokoku-ji temple in Kyoto, the imperial capital of Japan at the time. It’s a collection expressing the vital energy of flora and fauna and is testament to the genius of this self-taught artist.
The Colourful Realm of Living Beings, an exhibition of paintings by Ito Jakuchu, was held from 15 September to 14 October 2018 at the Petit Palais museum in Paris.
Ito Jakuchu, ‘Roses and Small Bird’, Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan), Tokyo, before 1765
Ito Jakuchu, ‘Old Pine and White Phoenix’, Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan), Tokyo, around 1766
Ito Jakuchu, ‘Shells’, Museum of the Imperial Collections (Sannomaru Shozokan), Tokyo, before 1765
Ito Jakuchu, ‘Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’, Shokoku-ji, Kyoto, before 1765
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