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Outing in Mountains and Fields

Yosa Buson

Outing in Mountains and Fields exhibition

Outing in Mountains and Fields

High-resolution facsimiles

Material
printed on washi paper
Period of creation
The Joint-research Project with CPCP 2021
Collection
Agency for Cultural Affairs

Original

Cultural property designation
Important Cultural Property
Artist
Yosa Buson
Historical era
Edo (18th century)
Material
light color on washi paper
Medium
Pair of six-fold screens
Size
Each screen H155.1 × W388.0 cm
Collection
Tokyo National Museum

Description

This set of two folding screens depicts travelers traversing rolling hills. The right-hand screen shows three men on horseback trotting along a moonlit path as dawn breaks. The left-hand screen features four old gentlemen crossing a stream and ascending a steep mountain with the aid of young servants. The scenery and human figures are portrayed using ink and light translucent colors. The viewer can almost sense the rustle of the wind and the freshness of the air. Yosa Buson was a poet and painter active in the latter half of the 18th century. He painted this work when he was in his late fifties. Buson started off as a writer of haiku poetry and he later began painting simple pictures to accompany his poems. In doing so, he created haiku pictures infused with a sense of individuality. Despite his success in the painting world, Buson never lost his love for poems and he incorporated the distinct charming lightness of poetry into his painted works. This picture has a Chinese theme, but the characters are portrayed in humorous fashion rather than as formal, eminent figures.

— Cited from Colbase

How the Works Are Created

How the Works Are Created

This section introduces the production process of high resolution facsimiles by combining Canon’s latest imaging technology and the authentic craftsmanship of Kyoto in the Tsuzuri Project.

About the Tsuzuri Project

About the Tsuzuri Project

This section shares the significance and passion behind the Tsuzuri Project and how we utilize the high resolution facsimiles of precious cultural assets, which are designated as national treasures and important cultural assets, and Japanese artworks that have left Japan.