Totoki Baigai

Place: Osaka

Born: 1749

Death: 1804

Biography:

Totoki Baigai (1749-1804), called Baigai, was born in Osaka but educated in Edo in the Chinese classics, calligraphy and painting, achieving wide recognition as a scholar and artist. He was a prominent member of the Nanga, or 'Southern School' painters of 17th- and 18th-century Japan, who were greatly influenced by Chinese culture. The subjects and styles of their work often reflected Chinese themes and techniques. Baigai was known for his ink and color paintings on paper, and his works often depicted landscapes, figures, and flowers. He was also a skilled calligrapher. Baigai received permission to visit the closed port city of Nagasaki in 1790, where he could meet actual Chinese painters, but he overstayed his permit and lost his permission. Baigai's works can be found in various museums and private collections around the world.