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Returning
Sails off a Distant Shore Attributed to Muqi: Examining a Painting
of the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers
This painting is mounted as a
very wide hanging scroll, which was originally a long handscroll that
was later cut into shorter sections and reformatted into hanging scrolls.
On the back of this painting, in the lower left-hand
corner, appears a stamp that reads "Doyu" This seal belonged
to the third shogun of the Muromachi period (1392-1572), Ashikaga
Yoshimitsu (1356-1408), who took the name Doyu in his old age, when
he became a Buddhist priest. This seal tells us that this painting
belonged to Yoshimitsu. Unlike an artist's stamp, seals such as
this, known as the collector's seal, indicate the owner or collector
of an object.
Today, there are a few similar hanging scrolls in addition to this
work, such as Fishing Village at Dusk from the collection of
the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, stamped with the Doyu seal. The original
handscroll that connects these works is a painting of the Eight Views
of the Xiao and the Xiang, attributed to a thirteenth-century Chinese
Chan (J., Zen) Buddhist priest of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279),
named Muqi Fachang. Muqi lived in the temple Liutong-si near West
Lake in the Song capital of Hangzhou and excelled at painting. He
not only painted Buddhist themes such as the compassionate Guanyin
(J., Kannon) and arhats (Ch., luohan; J., rakan), but
also created bold ink paintings of animals, such as dragons, tigers,
monkeys, cranes, and wild geese, and plants, such as pines, bamboo,
and plums, and landscapes.
In Muqi's day, China and Japan had close relations, and cultural
exchange was very popular. Many Japanese priests also went to study
Buddhism in China, and some returned to Japan with Muqi's paintings.
Later, these paintings came to represent new artistic trends from
China and drew much attention from and were favored by art aficionados
in Japan. The shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was among these enthusiasts
of Muqi's works. In China, however, critics said that Muqi's brush
techniques were rather rough and did not regard his works highly,
and gradually, Muqi was forgotten. In Japan, on the other hand,
in part because of his masterpieces, such as Eight Views of the
Xiao and the Xiang and Daitoku-ji Temple's triptych Guanyin,
Monkey, and Crane, Muqi was worshipped as a great Chinese painter.
His works were also given the honored name Osho-yo ("Great
Priest-style"), and his technique and style served as a model
for Japanese ink painting and largely influenced its formation and
development.
Now, let me explain about Eight Views of the Xiao and the Xiang.
This subject represents eight scenes along the area of Lake Dongting,
where the Xiao and the Xiang rivers meet, in Hunan Province in China.
Each scene in this series is designated by a poetic title, "Wild
Geese Descending on Sandbar," "Returning Sails off Distant
Shore," "Mountain Village after a Storm," "River
Sky in Evening Snow," "Autumn Moon over Lake Dongting,"
"Evening Rain over the Xiao and Xiang," "Evening
Bell of a Distant Temple," and "Fishing Village at Dusk."
From early on, poems praised the area around the Xiao and the Xiang
for its scenic beauty. In the mid-eleventh century, a literati painter
of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), named Song Di, began to
paint eight scenes as a series. Although his paintings no longer
exist, they appear to have scenes-not necessarily depicting a specific
place, but a general view-enveloped in a smoky mist that this region
is known for. This composition also may have incorporated a technique
known as "flat (or level) distance," in which Song Di
excelled, and which consists of an aerial format making it appear
as though the horizon stretched out. After Song Di, the subject
of the Eight Views of the Xiao and the Xiang became popular not
only in China, but also in Korea and Japan. This theme also became
the inspiration for the Eight Views of ?mi, which capture scenes
around Lake Biwa in Japan.
While Returning Sails off a Distant Shore here represents
the tradition of the Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang, the skilful
harmonization of ink tones and concise brushstrokes have beautifully
captured the movement of the air and the contrast of light and dark
and vividly depicted the two boats drawing near as wind fills their
sails and the onlookers bustling around at the landing in anticipation
of their return. This exquisite ink painting attributed to Muqi
truly reflects the master's style. After the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu,
this work went into the possession of the warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-82),
and thereafter, was highly regarded by art connoisseurs and collectors
in Japan.
Text by Minoru Nishigami,
Department of Fine Arts
Illustrations by Satoshi Ichida, Department of Public Relations
(Issued on July 12, 1997)
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