About the artist
Born Naoji Matsumura, Keibun lived and worked in Kyoto during the early 19th century. He began his artistic career as a Shijo painter, studying with his elder brother Goshun Matsumura and Okyo Maruyama. Well educated in the art theories of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Keibun established himself as a leading artist of his generation by 1818, securing the standing of the Shijo school. In terms of prints, he is known for his delicate and elegantly composed studies of birds and flowers (kacho-e). In addition to his artistic career, Keibun served as an attendant to Prince Shinnin, who had taken Buddhist vows. Myoshoin, located in Kyoto, owns many of Keibun's paintings, as he lived in this Buddhist temple for a time.