真美大観/伊藤若冲筆蘆雁及蓮魚圖


蘆雁及蓮魚圖 
絹本着色
伊藤若冲筆
三十幅中の二幅
各竪四尺七寸九分、横二尺六寸五分
元京都市臨濟宗大本山相國寺藏

伊藤若冲は、京都の人なり、初の名は春教、後、汝釣と改む、其家、野菜を賣るを以て業とせしが、天性繪事を好み、初め狩野派の一畫工を師として其技を修め、後自ら支那元明（西暦第十三世紀の央より第十七世紀の央までの間）の名匠に私淑し、又蒔繪の妙工尾形光琳の筆意をも參酌して、一種の畫風を創めたり、其最も得意とせし所は花鳥にして、就中鷄の寫生に在り、此に出せるものは元相國寺の所藏にして今や御物となれる有名なる三十幅中の二幅なるが、若冲がこの三十幅を畫きたるは寶暦八年（西暦一七五八年）以後、僅かに三年の間なりといふ、以て其密畫に長ぜるを知る可し、但し、其中には趣向殆ど相同じきものあり、意匠に貧なるの詬を免れざれども、是れ特り若冲のみの失にはあらざるなり、若冲常に數十羽の鷄を飼養し、日夕其動靜を視、且、寫生に勉めたるも、其畫は必しも形似を主とせず、別に自から趣向する所ありしこそ、名人の名人たる所なるべけれ、晩年、深草の石峯寺畔に閑居し、黄檗山萬福寺の伯玽和尚に師事し、寛政十二年（西暦一八〇〇年）八十五歳にして歿せり、其閑棲に名けて斗米庵といひしは、人の鷄畫を求めし毎に、先づ一斗の米を贈らしめたるに因るなり、京都附近には、この斗米の鷄畫を藏する者頗る多く、皆奇趣あり、近世稀有の良畫師といふ可し

Gan (A Bird of Pussage, A Wild-Goose) and Ayu (Small Fishes) in the Lotus Pond. 
Two of the thirty kakemono.
By Itô Jaku-chû.
Coloured; 4 feet 8 inches by a feet 6 1/2 inches.)
Formerly owned by the temple Shô-koku-ji, Kyôto.
Collotype.

Itô Jaku-chû was a vegetable-seller of Kyôto. From childhood he was very fond of painting and learned the art from an artist of the Kanô school. Afterwards he studied the style of those famous artists of Yuen and Ming of China (from the middle of the 13th century to the middle of the 17th century); besides imitating a famous painter on lacquer named Kô-rin, to whom we have refereed already, afterward he originated quite a new style of his own. What he was most skilled in was life-like sketches of birds and flowers.

The two Kakemono we have before us from a series of thirty altogether and belonged formerly to Shô-koku-ji, the head temple of the Zen sect, of Kyôto but now are in the possession of the Imperial Household, being bought by Imperial Order. The whole series was executed in three years by the author beginning in the 8th year of Hô-reki (1758 A.D.). As among the thirty there are some which are identical in designs, some critics infer that he was not a good desiner. But this is too harsh a statement, for few can attain perfection in every direction. Of the thirty these two are somewhat simpler sketches.

He was very skillful in painting cocks and hens. He used to keep and feed in person some twenty or thirty cocks and hens in order to use them as models for his painting. It was not the form and shape but the life and spirit that he thus strove to depict. When he grew old he retired to the neighbourhood of Seki-hô-ji of Fuka-kusa, Kyôto and became a pupil of Haku-jun, the head priest of Man-puku-ji or Ô-baku-san. He died in 1800 A.D. in his 85th year of age. When any one asked him to paint a cock, he requested first a bushel of rice. His retired hut was called the To-bei-an (the hut of a bushel of rice).

In neighbourhood of Kyôto there are many who own pictures of cocks painted by this artist. He is considered one of the greatest of modern painters.

底本 
田島志一編　『真美大観　第二册』　日本佛教眞美協會、1899年。

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