Okada Hankō

Okada Hankō (岡田 半江, 1782–1846) was a literati artist in the late Edo period. He was born in Osaka as the child of Okada Beisanjin. His personal name was Kiyoshi 粛, and his style name (azana) was Shiu 子羽. Other pen names include Kanzan 寒山 and Dokushō’ō 独松楼. He was commonly known as Uzaemon and later as Yoshitsugu.

Hanko learned painting from his father and continued to paint, and was inspired by many literary talents who visited his home. Naturally, he became interested in calligraphy.

He lost his parents during the Bunsei era and inherited his family’s rice shop Yoneya. He thereafter called himself Yoneya Hikobei. Like his father, he continued to serve as a subordinate to the Todo domain and also worked as a literatus. He corresponded with many writers and scholars including Rai Sanyo, the Dutch scholar Koishi Genzui, and the Confucian scholar Shinozaki Kotake. In addition, he was friends with Oshio Heihachiro for many years.

In 1832, shocked by Sanyo's death, and his physical condition deteriorated. He handed over his rice shop to his 13-year-old son and retired. He bought a house on the eastern side of Tenmanbashi along the Yodo River and lived a life of poetry and painting. Tanomura Chikuden frequently visited this house, and it became a salon for literati in Osaka.

In March 1837, this house was engulfed in a major fire, and Hankō’s collection of books, calligraphy, and antiques were destroyed. The following year, he returned to painting and created many masterpieces in his final years. He died in 1846.

Further info on the artist can be found in Literati Modern.