GANKU

original name Saeki Kishi born 1756, Kanazawa, Japan died Jan. 19, 1839, Kyoto Japanese painter of the late Tokugawa period who established the Kishi school of painting. A retainer of Prince Arisugawa in Kyoto and a holder of high rank, Ganku studied various styles of painting, including those of the Maruyama school, known for its realism, and of the Chinese painter Shen Nan-p'in, who had visited Japan in 1731. Ganku developed a realistic solid style and painted portraits, landscapes, flowers, and birds. He was particularly noted for his pictures of tigers.