Landscapes of the Four Seasons

This is a painting by Sesshū, one of the foremost Japanese Zen monk-painters of the 15th century. Sesshū trained at Shōkoku-ji Temple in Kyoto before moving to Yamaguchi in his mid-30s. He worked under the patronage of the Ōuchi clan, who ruled Yamaguchi at that time. In 1467, when Sesshū was 48, he accompanied a delegation sent by the Ōuchi clan to China, where he studied the many painting styles of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Because Sesshū painted these paintings in imitation of Chinese painting style while studying in China, it is thought that he may have presented them to the Ming imperial family. Each painting depicts one of the four seasons. If you look at “Winter,” you will notice that it is darker than the other three. This is because it is a night scene. These paintings show not only the changing seasons, but the changing time of day as well. See for yourself. In “Spring,” where plum blossoms bloom, it is morning, when people are beginning to move about.

In “Summer,” with clear, blue skies overhead, it must be daytime, when people are hard at work. In “Autumn,” it is evening. The flag sticking up from the roof of the house at the bottom of the painting is a signal that it has started serving alcohol for the evening. And in “Winter,” white, snow-covered mountains stand out against the darkness of night. The motifs in each painting are depicted in minute detail. Why not try to imagine what kind of story is unfolding in each one while you try to place the season and time of day? Another notable feature of these paintings is their size. They are extremely large for ink-wash landscape paintings on hanging scrolls. Even one of them is imposing, but the sight of all four together could be overwhelming. These are paintings that you can enjoy viewing both up close and at a distance.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.