Lone Traveler in Wintry Mountains

Buson is ranked with Ike no Taiga as one of the great masters of Japanese literati painting. Here he has depicted a scene of bare trees and bleak mountains, using only ink on a striking gold ground. At the bottom left, a lone traveler crosses a small bridge laid across a mountain stream. He is making his way toward the grounds of a magnificent estate, at the edge of which stands a thatched hut. Having at last reached his destination, perhaps the home of a friend, the traveler seems to be experiencing a moment’s relief, as he realizes that his lonely journey is nearly done. Buson’s paintings frequently include motifs such as a path or stream that suggest the passage of time. In this work, the two motifs are combined to lend the picture an intensified sense of flowing motion.

The panels are mounted as a two-panel folding screen, but traces of door-pulls (hikite) indicate that these originally formed small sliding doors (kobusuma) for a cupboard.