What Is the Kanō Tan-yū Style?

Kanō Tan-yū was active as a painter for the Tokugawa Shogunate in the early Edo period. He was a great man who laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Kanō school in the Edo period, and his ability was such that the later art philosopher Okakura Tenshin called him “the Tokugawa Ieyasu of the art world”.

The style of expression that Kanō Tan-yū created for the prosperity of the Kanō school is commonly known as the “Tanyu style”. This time, I would like to introduce this style.

Tan-yū Style

What is the Tan-yū style?

Kanō Eitoku, known to posterity as the most gifted painter of the Kanō school and a representative of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, expressed giant trees in a way that went beyond the frame of sliding doors or screens.

Cypress Painting Folding Screen by Kanō Eitoku

Kanō Tan-yū, on the other hand, emphasised the frame of the painting and tried to keep the subject stable within the frame.

 Sliding Doors with Plum Blossoms, Bamboo, and Birds in Snow Painting by Kanō Tan-yū

In addition, he did not forget to leave plenty of blank space and tried to include poetic sentiments in the blank space. In order to support the margins, it is important to use different shades of black ink, and to use the extreme contrast between the thick and thin ink lines. If we make a mistake in this use, we end up with a lacklustre picture instead of a light one. The charm of Kanō Tan-yū’s paintings lies in the light atmosphere of his painting style, which is just on the edge of this range.

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     The Japanese people have long set a high value on aesthetic senses since ancient times. As a result, the
    peculiar culture which is not seen in other countries blossomed and many aspects of the modern Japanese
    culture come from it. Parts of Japanese culture has been introduced to people in other countries recently,
    so the number of people from other countries who are interested in Japanese culture has been increasing.
    However, the Japanese aesthetic senses, which are the bases of Japanese culture, have been nurtured
    through a long history, intertwining various elements intricately, such as climate, geographical features,
    religion, customs and so on. Therefore, they are very difficult to understand not only for people from other
    countries, but even for the Japanese people. I think the best tool which conveys these difficult senses
    understandably is a “kakejiku.”
     The kakejiku (a hanging scroll; a work of calligraphy or a painting which is mounted and hung in an
    alcove or on a wall) is a traditional Japanese art. It's no exaggeration to say that paintings are what
    express aesthetic senses at all times and places. The kakejiku is an art which expresses the Japanese
    aesthetic senses. The kakejiku has long been used in traditional Japanese events, daily life and so on since
    ancient times. As a result, there are various customs of kakejiku in Japan; kakejiku and the life of the
    Japanese are closely related. We can see Japanese values through kakejiku.
     The kakejiku is a cultural tradition which the Japanese people should be proud of. However, many people
    in other countries don't know much about it because it hasn't been showcased as much. This is why I
    decided to try to introduce it. The kakejiku world is very interesting and beautiful. We want not only the
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    Name Art Nomura

    President Tatsuji Nomura

    Founded1973

    Established1992

    Address7-23 Babadori, Tarumi-ku, Kobe city,
    Hyougo Prefecture, 655-0021, Japan


    Capital10 million yen

    URLhttp://nomurakakejiku.com

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     Art Nomura is an art dealer which produces kakejiku (hanging scrolls). We mount many paintings and calligraphic works in kakejiku in my factory. Kakejiku are our main product. We also remount and repair old or damaged kakejiku. We share the traditional Japanese art of kakejiku with people all over the world.


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     The Japanese people have long set a high value on aesthetic senses since ancient times. As a result, the
    peculiar culture which is not seen in other countries blossomed and many aspects of the modern Japanese
    culture come from it. Parts of Japanese culture has been introduced to people in other countries recently,
    so the number of people from other countries who are interested in Japanese culture has been increasing.
    However, the Japanese aesthetic senses, which are the bases of Japanese culture, have been nurtured
    through a long history, intertwining various elements intricately, such as climate, geographical features,
    religion, customs and so on. Therefore, they are very difficult to understand not only for people from other
    countries, but even for the Japanese people. I think the best tool which conveys these difficult senses
    understandably is a “kakejiku.”
     The kakejiku (a hanging scroll; a work of calligraphy or a painting which is mounted and hung in an
    alcove or on a wall) is a traditional Japanese art. It's no exaggeration to say that paintings are what
    express aesthetic senses at all times and places. The kakejiku is an art which expresses the Japanese
    aesthetic senses. The kakejiku has long been used in traditional Japanese events, daily life and so on since
    ancient times. As a result, there are various customs of kakejiku in Japan; kakejiku and the life of the
    Japanese are closely related. We can see Japanese values through kakejiku.
     The kakejiku is a cultural tradition which the Japanese people should be proud of. However, many people
    in other countries don't know much about it because it hasn't been showcased as much. This is why I
    decided to try to introduce it. The kakejiku world is very interesting and beautiful. We want not only the
    Japanese, but also many people from other countries to know and enjoy it. I hope that many people will
    love kakejiku someday.

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