Saru Gallery
       Japanese Prints & Japanese Paintings

Biography Hyakunen, Suzuki 百年 鈴木 (1825 - 1891)

Suzuki Hyakunen was born and raised in Kyoto, where his father, an astronomer, trained him in drawing astronomical diagrams. Traditionally he is described as a pupil of Edo artist Ōnishi Chinnen, who was a student of Maryama. Ōkyo. This places Hyakunen in de Maryama tradition, but from early in his career his style was eclectic, ranging from Shijō to Kanō styles. He led a literati lifestyle and his love of Chinese classics are reflected in many of his paintings.
His importance is not only determined by his own work, but also by his influence on the careers of others. His best known pupil is his son Suzuki Shōnen; other students were Kubota Beisen and Imao Keinen. At the start of the Kyoto Prefecture Painting School in 18180, he was appointed one of the principal instructors, but rivalry with Kōno Bairei made him resign after one month. When Bairei too resigned a year later, his son Suzuki Shōnen was appointed.
Hyakunen frequently submitted works to major exhibitions of the Meiji period, and won many prizes. He died unexpectedly on his return journey from Tokyo where he had attended an exhibition.

References:
Araki, Tsune (ed), Dai Nihon shôga meika taikan, Tokyo 1975 (1934), p. 735
Morioka, Michiyo and Paul Berry, Modern Masters of Kyoto, Seattle 1999, pp. 63-67
Roberts, Laurance P., A Dictionary of Japanese artists, New York, 1976, p. 50