The life and art of Ōtagaki Rengetsu

Abstract

Ōtagaki Rengetsu was a poetess, potter, calligrapher and painter. The aim of this thesis is to describe the general characteristics of her style in each of these fields, particularly those which give some insight into her personality. Since Rengetsu's artistic development is most clearly defined in the area of calligraphy, analysis of her calligraphic style and its change through time plays a key role in this paper. Previous scholarship has examined the development of Rengetsu's calligraphic line, but other elements such as composition of the lines and their placement have never been discussed in relation to her overall development. These elements reveal a distinct change between her works of her sixties and early seventies and those of the last ten years of her life. Another omission to scholarship has been in the area of signature analysis. Although charts have been published illustrating her signature at different ages, there has been little discussion of the development displayed in the signature. This paper will discuss the development of Rengetsu's signature which, except for some minor variations, does follow a clear progression and can be used to define different periods within her art.