Tani Bunchi (October 15, 1763 - January 6, 1841) was a Japanese literatus (bunjin) painter and poet. He was the son of the poet Tani Rokkoku (1729-1809). As his family were retainers of the Tayasu Family, descendents of the eighth Tokugawa shogun, Bunchi inherited samurai status and received a stipend to meet the responsibilities this entailed. In his youth he began studying the painting techniques of the Kani school under Kati Bunrei (1706-82). After Bunrei's death, Bunchi worked with masters of other schools, such as the literati painter Kitayama Kangen (1767-1801), and developed a wide stylistic range that included many Chinese, Japanese and European idioms. He rose to particular prominence as the retainer of Matsudaira Sadanobu (1759-1829), genetic son of the Tayasu who was adopted into the Matsudaira family before becoming chief senior councilor (ri ju shuza; èa¸­é¦-座) of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1787. Bunchi is best known for his idealized landscapes in the literati style (Na