Ōtagaki Rengetsu

Otagaki Rengetsu is the most celebrated woman artist of the Edo period in Japan (1603–1868). Her reputation derives not only from her distinct skills as both a potter and poet, but her remarkable ability to incorporate the two art forms by adorning her pottery with her own calligraphic poetry. Rengetsu’s biological parents gave her up at birth, and she was adopted by the samurai Otagaki family and then introduced to poetry as a young lady in waiting in Tanba. By the time she reached the age of 33, Rengetsu had suffered a series of tragic family deaths including members of her adoptive family, two husbands, and three of her children. She subsequently renounced the world, became a Buddhist nun, and with no financial support, moved to Kyoto to try to make a living as an artist. Her unique poetic compositions combined with her uncommon stature as a self-sustaining woman potter made her work highly sought after by the Kyoto intelligentsia. This early level of interest has contributed to the preservation of a body of work that provides a glimpse into the fascinating lives of women artists in the Edo period (1603–1868).

Reference: Kris Ercums, “Otagaki Rengetsu”, in Smart Collecting: Acquisitions 1990–2004, Kimerly Rorschach et al. (China: Asia Pacific Printing Co., Ltd., 2004), 122. Published in conjunction with the exhibition “Smart Collecting: A Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration”, July 8-September 5, 2004.