Goshun · 1752–1811
Goshun
Goshun (1752-1811) was a mid-Edo-period painter of Kyoto and the founder of the Shijo school. After studying under Yosa Buson he drew close to Maruyama Okyo, and is known for establishing a style that drew on both.
Goshun was born in 1752 (Horeki 2) in Kyoto, the eldest son of a family of the gold mint's senior officials. His family name was Matsumura and his personal name Toyomasa, and he first worked at the gold mint in the family business. Around 1773 (An'ei 2) he became a live-in pupil of Yosa Buson, studying haikai and Nanga (literati painting).
In 1781 (Tenmei 1) he lost his wife and his father in quick succession and spent time in what is now Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. The following year he began to use the name Goshun, after the old name of the place, "Kureha no Sato." After Buson's death he drew close to Maruyama Okyo, and from around 1787 (Tenmei 7) he took part with Okyo and others in making the sliding-door paintings at Daijo-ji in Tajima Province.
Having learned two contrasting styles, those of Buson and Okyo, Goshun came to be called the founder of the Shijo school. He died in 1811 (Bunka 8). One of his works is Banquet at the Peach and Plum Garden and Inscribing a Rock at the Western Garden (screens).
