Kikuchi Gozan (1769-1849) was a Confucian scholar and Chinese poet of the late Edo period. He was born in Takamatsu, Sanuki province (Kagawa prefecture). His name was Kirison, his characters were Mugen, and his common name was Zatayu. In addition to Gozan, he was also known as Gyoan, Kotsurisha, etc. His great-grandfather was Kikuchi Hanzan. His family served the Takamatsu clan as a Confucian official from the time of his great-grandfather, Kikuchi Han’in. In 1788, when Kuriyama was invited by the shogunate as a Confucian scholar, he moved to Edo (now Tokyo) and joined Ichikawa Kansai’s Eko Shisya (poet’s society). He worked as a poet with Kashiwagi Nyotei, Okubo Shibutsu, and others. Along with Tani Buncho in painting and Kameda Hosai in calligraphy, he was known as one of the three great masters of the art world.
