Slippery creatures in lurid wet strokes by Saito Kenseki mounted in a green patterned silk border with wood rollers. Ink on paper and dated Autumn 1836, the current antique mounting is later as evidenced by repairs to wormholes in the original paper. It is 95 x 151.5 cm (37-1/2 x 59-1/2 inches) in fine condition.
Saito Kenseki (1798-1874) was considered to be one of the finest ink painters of his time in Kanto. He was born the second son into the family of fisherman and business man Saito Shirouemon in Kujukurihama bay in modern day Chiba prefecture, with the given name Gen, but went by many pseudonyms in his lifetime. He took over the family business after the early death of his older brother, and established his painting studio, Taiyo-an, at the age of 28. At that time, the pristine beaches of Kujukurihaama were an attraction for those seeking an escape from the city, and many literatus made their homes or traveled there. Many of those visitors stayed in the Taiyo-an including Takaku Aigai, Fukuda Hanko, Yanagawa Seigan and Koran, as well as Yamamoto Baitsu, Tsubaki Chinzan, Okamoto Shuki, Kinoshita Itsuun and Taki Katei; gassaku works from that era by these artists painted in collusion with Kenseki give evidence of the friendships and regard with which he was seen. His 1843 screen painting is held in the Tokyo National Museum. In 1844 he would begin to journey, and would remain largely on the road until the fall of the Edo government in the 1860s. During that time he lived and studied with Tsubaki Chinzan in Kyoto, built a house near Ueno, and established an atelier in Echigo.
