Keigetsu Matsubayashi1876~1963 松林桂月

Matsubayashi Keigetsu was a Japanese-style painter born on August 18, 1876, in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and died on May 22, 1963. Born Ito Atsushi, he apprenticed under Noguchi Yukoku in 1894 and devoted himself to nanga (literati painting). Building on the lineage of Watanabe Kazan and Tsubaki Chinzan while incorporating modern sketching techniques, he developed a refined and meticulous style supported by his deep knowledge of Chinese classics and poetry. In 1906 he founded the Nihon Nanshuga-kai and became a leading figure in the literati painting world, often called “the last literati painter.” He was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in 1959.