Tani Bunchi (October 15, 1763 - January 6, 1841) was a Japanese literatus (bunjin) painter and poet. He was the son of the poet Tani Rokkoku (1729-1809). As his family were retainers of the Tayasu Family, descendents of the eighth Tokugawa shogun, Bunchi inherited samurai status and received a stipend to meet the responsibilities this entailed. In his youth he began studying the painting techniques of the Kani school under Kati Bunrei (1706-82). After Bunrei's death, Bunchi worked with masters of other schools, such as the literati painter Kitayama Kangen (1767-1801), and developed a wide stylistic range that included many Chinese, Japanese and European idioms. He rose to particular prominence as the retainer of Matsudaira Sadanobu (1759-1829), genetic son of the Tayasu who was adopted into the Matsudaira family before becoming chief senior councilor (ri ju shuza; ?ａa??????”) of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1787. Bunchi is best known for his idealized landscapes in the literati style (Nanga or Bunjinga). Unlike most bunjinga painters of his time, however, Bunchi was an extremely eclectic artist, painting idealized Chinese landscapes, actual Japanese sites, and poetically-inspired traditional scenery. He also painted portraits of his contemporaries, as well as imagined images of such Chinese literati heroes as Su Shi and Tao Yuanming.