Nonagase Banka

Nonagase Banka (野長瀬 晩花, 1889–1964), born in modern-day Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, was a Nihonga painter during the Taishō and Shōwa periods. His real first name was Hiroo (弘 男). He went to Osaka to study painting under Nakagawa Rogetsu (中川 蘆月, 1859–1924), a representative of the Maruyama School. He then went to Kyōto to study under the grand master of history painting, Taniguchi Kōkyō (1864-1915, see Entry 86). In Kyoto he also exhibited pictures, made friends with the painters Hada Teruo (1887–1945), Takehisa Yumeji and others. In doing so, he moved away from the Nihonga direction and took up influences from modern painting.

Banka then studied at the forerunner institution of today's Kyōto University of the Arts and graduated with Tsuchida Bakusen, Murakami Kagaku and others. In 1918 he was involved in the founding of the National Society for Creative Painting (国画創作協会, Kokuga sōsaku kyōkai). In 1921 he undertook a trip to Europe with Bakusen and other members of the group, during which he was influenced by Post-Impressionism and by Western painting in general.

After the National Society for Creative Painting was dissolved, Banka no longer exhibited, illustrated books and designed book covers. He brought back sketches from a trip to China, which were published in 1936 under the title “Paintings on the border of North Manchuria” (北満国境線を画).

In 1948 Banka founded the Hakuen Society (白淡社) in Nagano Prefecture, in which he brought together painters and poets from the area. In addition, he continued his painting activity.

Banka's works are on display in the Wakayama Prefectural Museum, which held a commemorative exhibition for the 50th anniversary of death in 2014.