Yanagisawa Kien, originally Rikyà  (Japanese:æ³沢 æ·ÂÃ¥ÂÂ; 30 August 1703, Edo â 6 October 1758, Kà Âriyama) was a Japanese painter in the nanga style. His other art names included Chikkei (竹æ¸Â) and Gyokkei (çÂÂæ¡Â).
His father was one of the most important members of the Yanagisawa clan, with princely seat at Kà Âriyama Castle. As a child, he lived in Edo and developed an interest in painting at the age of nine. He began his training with artists of the Kanà  school, but became a disciple of , who practiced the Nagasaki-e style of woodcut art. Later, he studied nanga painting under the direction of Gion Nankai.
He also became a follower of the Zen monks of the à Âbaku school of Buddhism, which may have prompted him to study Chinese painting from the Yuan and Ming dynasties and familiarize himself with the Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden. In 1727, due to inheritance problems, he moved to the family estates in Kà Âriyama, took charge of some of his relatives' financial affairs, and remained there until his death.
Philosophically, he was influenced by the Confucianist scholar, Ogyà « Sorai, who served as a retainer for the Yanagisawas. From the age of fifteen, he was an essayist and is said to have excelled at all sixteen of the subjects that comprised a classical education; including calligraphy, poetry and the tea ceremony. He was apparently also trained in acupuncture.
He specialized in painting bamboo. Relatively few of his works have survived, whereas copies and forgeries are numerous.