Description
This masterpiece depicts a bird's eye view of the famous sandbar in Tango province, one of the Three Famous Scenic Spots in Japan.<P>
The painting can be dated by the coexistence in the scene of the two-story pagoda of Chion-ji Temple, which was built in 1501, and the buildings of Nariai-ji Temple, which burned down in 1507. It is remarkable to think that the artist, who was well into his eighties at the time, climbed to such heights to paint from this perspective. The painting's combination of soft, wet ink tones, precise brushwork and sublime composition represent the acme of Sesshu Toyo's (1420-1506) art.<P>
This painting can be considered the masterpiece of an artist who went to China to study painting from life and the art of the Song and Yuan Dynasties and sought the unity of Zen and art throughout his life.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026