Landscape
early 19th century
Though widely known as a follower of Yosa Buson, Kinkoku did not study directly with the literati master. Rather, he absorbed Buson's brush techniques as well as his landscape and figure style by repeatedly copying the master's works. After an arduous pilgrimage in the mountains of Japan with a group of Shugendo mountain-worship practitioners, Kinkoku's work reflected a new sense of raw energy and spirituality, his direct experience of nature transmitted through the medium of his brush. In these three scrolls, we sense the artist's imagination in the surging peaks and the pulsing leaves. Perhaps we can view the figure crossing the bridge as Kinkoku himself, situated at the halfway point between this world and the next.
Ink and color on paper
81 1/2 x 27 7/8 in. (207 x 70.8cm)
Gift of Dr. R. Joseph Monsen and Dr. Elaine R. Monsen
91.35.2