Cherry-Blossom and Maple-Leaf Viewing

Outings to enjoy blossoming cherry trees and the turning colors of maple leaves have been two of the most cherished seasonal activities in Japan since ancient times. On the screen at the right, where cherry blossoms are at their peak, aristocratic women have arrived by carriage. They look almost anachronistic, with long, trailing hair and voluminous silk garments, while the men, other women, and children who have joined them are dressed in contemporary fashion. The courtesans at the scene have shorter hair and are dressed in stylish kimonos with bold designs. Seated with a writing box, a lady composes a poem, while her attendants relax, some enjoying the sake being served. At the left, women and children gather herbs and edible plants of spring.

The central figures in the screen at the left, which depicts an autumn scene, are court noblemen, warriors, and merchants; even Buddhist monks have joined in the merrymaking. As in the spring scene, the most prominent courtier is shown composing a poem, hinting at some narrative connection to the right screen; others are engaged in cooking or drinking. Long pipes such as the one being smoked by the seated gentleman in the second panel from the right began to appear prominently in genre paintings after tobacco was introduced to Japan, in 1601.

Although only spring and autumn activities are shown in this pair of screens, the tradition of depicting the progression of the seasons in four stages is not totally forgotten. Spring here advances from right to left. At the point where the two screens meet is a stand of hibiscus—symbol of summer.[1] And on the screen at the left, autumn leaves serve as the setting for another picnic.

It is difficult to trace the genesis and evolution of such genre scenes because so few early examples are extant. Three small fans dating from the second quarter of the twelfth century and a few other scattered works suggest that in early times seasonal excursions were usually made to sacred places.[2] Scenic spots were often consecrated by sacred monuments dedicated either to Shinto or to Buddhist deities. Seasonal outings were therefore occasions to enrich the spirit as well as the senses.

As the close connection that had traditionally been made between the seasons and specific scenic sites faded, the thematic focus shifted to human activities. Close scrutiny marks the depiction of costume design in these screens, and a great variety of textile designs can be seen, almost as though the artist had used a textile pattern book. While the court ladies have only dashes for eyes, in the traditional hikime-kagihana technique, other figures, though small, are depicted with lively gestures and facial expressions with wide-open eyes. The latter begin to resemble the figures that would become independent subjects of screens and hanging scrolls, depicted against neutral backgrounds, in such paintings as the Kanbun Beauties (cat. no. 144). By depicting people from all walks of life, the artist of these screens seems to have wanted to represent a true genre scene.

The painter of these screens seems to have been trained in the orthodox Kano-school manner. Trees are carefully delineated with heavy ink lines, used also to define the rocks and distant mountains on the screen at the left. The courtesan seated between trees in the screen at the right wears a dress with the same coin design as that of one of the performers on a screen formerly in the Kanda collection known as the Dancers Screen, which dates to the 1630s; their faces too are nearly identical.[3] The resemblance between these two figures is so close that it would be safe to attribute the Burke screens to the same artist, or at least to the same workshop.

[Miyeko Murase 2000, Bridge of Dreams]


[1] A single screen in the collection of the Honolulu Academy of Arts depicts cherry-blossom viewing and fishing together. See Narazaki Muneshige 1971, pp. 20–25.
[2] For the fans, in the Itsukushima Shrine, see Akiyama Terukazu 1964, pp. 343–62; and Egami Yasushi 1992, pls. 3–5, 38–40. On outings to sacred places, see Takeda Tsuneo 1977c, pp. 115–21.
[3] Takeda Tsuneo et al. 1977, pls. 32, 81.

Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation , New York (until 2015; donated to MMA)

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Japanese Art from The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," March 30–June 25, 2000.

New York. Asia Society. "Golden Fantasies: Japanese Screens from New York Collections," January 13, 2004–June 27, 2004.

Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu. "Enduring Legacy of Japanese Art: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," July 5, 2005–August 19, 2005.

Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum. "Enduring Legacy of Japanese Art: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," October 4, 2005–December 11, 2005.

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. "Enduring Legacy of Japanese Art: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," January 24, 2006–March 5, 2006.

Miho Museum. "Enduring Legacy of Japanese Art: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," March 15, 2006–June 11, 2006.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Celebrating the Arts of Japan: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection," October 20, 2015–May 14, 2017.

Tsuji Nobuo 辻惟雄, Mary Griggs Burke, Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha 日本経済新聞社, and Gifu-ken Bijutsukan 岐阜県美術館. Nyūyōku Bāku korekushon-ten: Nihon no bi sanzennen no kagayaki ニューヨーク・バーク・コレクション展 : 日本の美三千年の輝き(Enduring legacy of Japanese art: The Mary Griggs Burke collection). Exh. cat. [Tokyo]: Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha, 2005, cat. no. 79.

Murase, Miyeko, Il Kim, Shi-yee Liu, Gratia Williams Nakahashi, Stephanie Wada, Soyoung Lee, and David Sensabaugh. Art Through a Lifetime: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection. Vol. 1, Japanese Paintings, Printed Works, Calligraphy. [New York]: Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, [2013], p. 192, cat. no. 217.