Aoki Mokubei

(b Kyoto, 1767; d Kyoto, 1833). Japanese potter, painter and scholar. He was born into the Kiya family of restaurateurs and adopted the surname Aoki only after becoming a painter. Mokubei, one of his many artist's names, was created by combining the Chinese characters for 'tree' and 'rice' (a character anagram of his given name Yasohachi). His most familiar studio name (go), Robei ('deaf [Moku]bei'), dates from the time when he had become deaf from the clangour of his ceramic kilns. Despite his plebeian origins, he gravitated at a young age towards the arts and Chinese philosophy and poetry. At 18 he became a pupil of KO FUYO, from whom he learnt seal-carving, epigraphy, literati painting (Nanga or Bunjinga; see JAPAN,

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