A rakish cluster of grape vines fraught with fruit by Soryu, the scarred ancient paper mounted in Meiji period style with mustard silk. It is 70 x 195 cm (27-1/2 x 77 inches). There is Minor creasing. Possibly the work of Tenryu-dojin or more likely one of his followers.
Tenryu Dojin (1718-1810) was born as an illegitimate child of the Hizen Kashima Domain, but was raised as the son of a chief retainer. At the age of 14 his family was involved in a scandal and the artist was made a Ronin, or masterless Samurai. Around the age of 15, he entered the Buddhist priesthood under the priest Taitake of Hizen Ankoku-ji Temple, and later went to Nagasaki to study medicine and painting under Kumashiro Kumai, a prominent artist of the Nanpin school of Chinese-style painting. Around the age of 19, he went to Kyoto where he was adopted by Manri-koji Shufusa, calling himself Zenmyo-in, and served the Cloistered Imperial Prince. He fell into the circle of Imperial loyalist Takenouchi Shikibu, and joined the movement to overthrow the shogunate and restore the monarchy operating under various pseudonyms. After a failed coup at the age 41, many of his loyalist friends were exiled, but this did not deter the patriot, and he was again involved in a plot at age 50 known as the Daini Jiken. The leadership of this plot were put to death, and Tenryu-Dojin escaped to mountainous Shinshu region in central Japan, concealing his background and social status he changed his name and hid himself in this area for the rest of his life. Inspired by the Tenryū River, which flows from Lake Suwa, he adopted the name Tenryū Dōjin and devoted himself fully to painting. In contrast to his turbulent early life, his later years in Suwa were peaceful and contemplative. He led a quiet life of solitude, often meditating in silence, rising to paint or compose poetry when inspiration struck. He was well regarded by the local Takashima domain, and also traveled to Takatō and Ina to paint. At age 90, he suffered from an eye ailment and temporarily ceased writing. At 92, he became afflicted with a leg illness and thereafter referred to himself as “Sekkaku-zan” (Mountain of a Broken Leg). He passed away in 1810 (7th year of the Bunka era) at the age of 93. He is remembered for paintings of hawks and grapes. An exhibition of his work was held in 1960 at the Nezu Museum.
