CHENG JIASUI (1565-1643)

Imai Takudo (1858-1918), whose original name was Imai Magoichi, came from a family that was important in Echigo (now Niigata prefecture) beginning in the late 17th century. Imai Takudo established the Imai Bank in 1900 and was well-respected for his contribution to the modernization of finance, marine enterprises, and social work projects.
Mr. Imai studied under the painter Tomioka Tessai (1837-1924), who was an influential scholar of Chinese classics. It was Tessai who gave Mr. Imai the art name Takudo. Tessai resided in the Imai household and helped to build Mr. Imai's collection of Chinese classical paintings and calligraphy. Part of the collection, including works by Lan Ying, Yun Gu, Xie Tianyou, and Ma Quan, was sold in November 2012 at Christie's Hong Kong.