Morning View of Uji River

A river arcs through the mountains and flows to the left, its surface only disturbed by a solitary boat. Further down, a man crosses a bridge. The red-hued leaves around the bridge suggest an autumn scene. The detailed depiction of the trees is achieved using a variety of brush strokes. The trees and the rounded mountains seem to writhe upwards with the vigor of living creatures. The 'Uji' of the title is a famous tea-growing region in Kyoto. A temple surrounded by trees sits toward the bottom right, close to where Uji River curves around. This is Byodoin Temple, now listed as a World Heritage Site. This tranquil scene is infused with the crisp air of an autumn morning. Mokubei was a great admirer of Ike no Taiga, a painter influenced by a style of Chinese literati painting called nanshuga. Perhaps this explains the painting's characteristic Chinese-style figures.

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