◇ Ōtagaki Rengetsu (Rengetsu-ni) Female poet and ceramic artist (born in Kyoto). Her biological father was Tōdō Ryōsei, the chief retainer of the Ueno Castle in Iga Province. She was a child born to a courtesan. She was adopted by Ōtagaki Kōko, who served at the Chion-in Temple in Kyoto, and married Mōko, who was also an adopted child. However, her husband died, and in 1823, she entered the priesthood and was called Rengetsu-ni. She studied poetry with Rokunobe Zekō, Ueda Akinari, and Kagawa Kageki, and also admired Ozawa Roan. Her poet friends included Murakami Chūjun, Tachibana Akemi, Nomura Bōtōni, Takabatake Shikibu, Ueda Chikako, and Sakuragi Tayū. Her poetic style was graceful and delicate. To make a living, she began making pottery in Okazaki, Kyoto. She inscribed her own waka poems on hand-formed pottery using a nail, and sold them. These were called "Rengetsu-yaki" and became popular souvenirs of Kyoto. She had the young Tomioka Tessai as her attendant, and greatly influenced him. During the Kyoto famine, she donated her private property and built the Marutamachi Bridge on the Kamo River at her own expense, engaging in charitable activities. Her poetic style was graceful and delicate. ◇ Collection of poems: "Ama no Karumo" Real name: Makoto (Nobu) Other names: Bosatsu-ni, Intoku-ni Born 1791, died 1875, age 84 ◇ Poem by Rengetsu: "As I hear the distant cries of the cranes, I sing of a thousand years of life." ◇ Since this is an old item, there may be scratches, stains, damage, tears, folds, discoloration, burns, chips, insect damage, etc. Please bid after confirming the images. ◇ We have not received a formal appraisal, so please understand. ◇ The items on display have been collected by the seller over many years and are long-term storage items. Please bid only if you are familiar with antiques, as they are not new. ◇ The readings may not be accurate, so please use them as a reference only and correct any errors.