Soga Shōhaku


Soga Shōhaku was a Japanese painter of the Edo period. Shōhaku distinguished himself from his contemporaries by preferring the brush style of the Muromachi period, an aesthetic that was already passé 150 years before his birth.
Shōhaku's birth name was Miura Sakonjirō. His family was wealthy, but all of his immediate family members died before he reached the age of 18.

Work and studies

As a young man, he was a student of Takada Keiho of the prominent Kanō School, which drew upon Chinese techniques and subject matters. His disillusionment with the school led him to appreciate the works of Muromachi era painter Soga Jasoku. He began to use the earlier style of brushstroke, painting mostly monochromes, despite the fact it had become unfashionable.

Gallery