Fukurokuju (God of Longevity)

Ganku (1756-1839) was a painter in late Edo Period who was born in Kaga (current Kanazawa City, Ishikawa prefecture) and lived in poverty. However, he learned styles of painting from Kano, Nanpin to Maruyama schools to establish his own painting style. He was recognized as having adept skills and entrusted with creating screen and wall paintings in the Imperial Palace and the Kanazawa Castle. He also fostered a number of disciples and established the “Kishi school” which was succeeded generation to generation by his son, Gantai (1782 or 85-1865), and his descendants such as Kishi Renzan (1804-1859) and Kishi Chikudo (1826-1897). A pair of deer and a crane perching on the rock are depicted against the backdrop of a pine tree. The buck deer with strong horns is about to take a step with its right leg while the female deer stops moving, looking back toward the viewer. The crane stretches its neck, seemingly looking carefully down on the pair of animals. Static and dynamic expressions, and different lines of sight of each animal running across in the painting create an excellent composition. He painted the rock and pine tree using varying thick and thin lines, which is one of the characteristics recognized in Ganku’s paintings, together with a variety of tint colors to successfully create calm atmosphere. “Fukurokuju” means happiness, wealth and longevity. Crane and pine tree are also the symbol of longevity and the Chinese letter meaning deer has the same pronunciation as “roku.” The mushrooms under the rock are known as “reishi,” and it is believed that a person who consumes them will live a long life. There are the signature of “Dokokan Ganku” and a rectangular seal of “Kakan” and “Ganku” in white at the upper-left corner. The year of creation is unknown but it is believed he created the painting in his late 70s or early 80s, because the signature resembles the one on the painting “Sokaisho-shoyo-zu” (owned by Tenneiji, Kyoto) created in 1829. It is accompanied by the note of authentication written by Gantai on the box and the certificate by Chikudo.