Lot 130: Aoudo Denzen (1748 -1822) Late 18th century

Late 18th century
Kakejiku in ink, colour and gold on silk, a pair of scrolls: one depicting Raijin, the God of thunder and lightning beating drums to invoke thunder, the other with Fujin the God of wind, carrying a large bag of wind on his shoulders, both signed with two seals of the artist Denzen and Kakushin(?), with double wood storage boxes. 97cm x 35cm (38 1/8in x 13¾in). (4).

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Born in Mutsu Prefecture (present Fukushima prefecture) as the son of a townsman, Denzen first started etching, for which he became later renowned, at the age of forty-seven, by the command of Matsudaira Sadanobu (the head of the Shirakawa Clan), who wished to have maps drawn with the same precision and detail as those in the West. The artist was also inspired by other Western-style painting techniques such as perspective, shadow, and oils, and soon developed his own unique style.