Gakuo Zokyu

JAPAN; Muromachi period

Gakuo Zokyu was a Zen monk and painter. It is inferred that he was active from the latter half of the 15th century to the early 16th century, and was closely connected to Tofukuji Temple. Many references to his works were made by eminent monks at the temple, including Kiko Daishuku and Ryoan Keigo. Among the approximately 20 extant works of Gakuo, the majority are ink landscape paintings. These paintings, comprising only half of the paper, with gentle brushstrokes, delicate tracing, and elegant style, are considered to be reminiscent of the style of renowned painter, Tensho Shubun.
His works include Master Dongshan Liangjie, kept at the Seikado Bunko Art Museum in Tokyo and Screen of Shosho Hakkei, at the Kosetsu Museum of Art in Hyogo. In one painting kept at the Tokyo National Museum, there is a signature of Zokyu and a red seal imprint of Gakuo on the bottom right. Additional landscape paintings are kept at various museums around the country, several of which are listed as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.