Nōami facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nōami 能阿弥 Ami 阿弥
Guayin in White Robe, 1473, Tokiwayama Bunko
Born	Nakao Shinnō 中尾真能 1397
Died	1471
Known for	Dōbōshū (artist and art connoisseur for the shogunate), Suiboku ink painting
Patron(s)	Ashikaga Yoshinori and Ashikaga Yoshimasa

Nōami (能阿弥, 1397–1471) was a very important artist and art expert in Japan. He worked for the Ashikaga shogunate, which was the government led by a powerful military ruler called the shogun. Nōami was known for his amazing suiboku (ink wash) paintings. He was also a talented renga (linked verse) poet and a master of tate-bana flower arranging.

Nōami worked closely with two shoguns: Ashikaga Yoshinori and Ashikaga Yoshimasa. He was like a special curator for the shogun's art collection, known as the 'Higashiyama Gomotsu'. He was great at judging art. Nōami collected and checked out artworks that came from other countries. He also created detailed rules for how to display art in special rooms called shoin rooms. These rules covered things like how to hang scrolls, arrange items on shelves, and display flowers and vases. You can find these guidelines in a book called "Reference for the Display of Objects of Beauty" (Kundaikan Sō Chōki). Nōami also gave advice on the Japanese tea ceremony, kōdō (the art of incense), and many other artistic traditions.

Learning and Teaching

Nōami had an important connection with another famous artist, Murata Shukō. It is said that Nōami taught Shukō how to arrange flowers and how to tell if Chinese artworks were real and valuable. In return, Shukō taught Nōami a special style of chanoyu (tea ritual).

Nōami's Art

Nōami was a skilled artist himself. He learned from a painter named Shūbun. Nōami mostly painted landscapes using the suiboku (monochrome ink) style. This means he used different shades of black ink to create his pictures.

Nōami, his son Geiami, and his grandson Sōami are known together as the San-ami, or "Three Ami's". They are some of the most famous landscape painters in Japanese history. Nōami was also known by his birth name, Nakao Shinnō, and his Buddhist name, Shunōsai.

Selected Works

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  Lotus, Masaki Art Museum

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  Kannon