The Spirit of Japan

Taikan’s childhood name was Hidezo and he later changed his name to Hidemaro. He entered Tokyo School of Fine Arts, which was newly established in 1889, and studied under Tenshin Okakura and Gaho Hashimoto. In 1896, he became assistant professor at his alma mater, but retired in 1898 following Tenshin’s resignation. Together with Kanzan Shimomura, Shunso Hishida, and others, he took part in the foundation of Nihon Bijutsuin and aimed at creating a new nihonga. After Tenshin’s death, in 1914, he reestablished the Saiko Inten and led the nihonga circles of the Taisho and Showa periods by presenting numerous noble-minded masterworks.