Watanabe Kazan

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Watanabe Kazan (October 20, 1793 - November 23, 1841) was a Japanese painter, scholar and statesman member of the samurai class. He was born Watanabe Sadayasu in Edo (now Tokyo) to a poor samurai family, and his artistic talent was developed from an early age. His family served the daimyo of Tahara, located in present day Aichi prefecture. He was heavily influenced by the artistic styles of the West, forming a unique style with elements of Japanese and European art. He was the first Japanese artist to paint realistic portraits of his subjects using the effect of shading which he learned from European paintings. His work was suppressed under the Bansha no goku program of 1839, which discouraged Western study in Japan, and he was placed under house arrest. Due to the political turmoil involved in this, Kazan committed suicide in his home in Tahara, Aichi.