The Life and Training of Keison Keison operates within the shifting landscape of the Muromachi period, a time of profound transition in Japan. He functions as a professional painter, a monk-painter whose presence is felt most strongly in eastern Japan, specifically in the vicinity of Kamakura. His career spans a complex timeline; while some records place his activity in the mid-16th century, other evidence suggests he was active from the late 15th to the early 16th century. The foundation of his craft lies in his relationship to the celebrated monk-painter Kenkō Shōkei. Keison is a disciple…