A Legacy of Ink: Nakabayashi Chikkei and the Nanga Tradition Nakabayashi Chikkei, born in Nagoya in 1801 and passing away in 1867, occupies a significant yet often understated position within the landscape of Japanese art. He was a painter deeply rooted in the *nanga* style – a tradition that prized literati painting from China, emphasizing not merely technical skill but also intellectual depth, poetic sensibility, and a profound connection to nature. Chikkei’s life unfolded during the late Edo period, a time of relative peace and flourishing arts, yet also one marked by increasing social ch…