Reizei Tamechika’s pair of landscapes are examples of the revival of yamato-e, the style of Japanese painting that evokes classical Japanese themes and places. Here the artist depicts places of seasonal scenic beauty in Japan: on the right is Mount Yoshino, admired for its mountain cherry trees that blossom in spring, while on the left is the Tatsuta River and its myriad maple trees that turn brilliant red in the autumn.

A poet admires each scene, thus recalling famous poems about these locations. Mount Yoshino’s cherry blossoms inspired the poet Saigyo (1118-1190) to write this lyric:

The maple trees along the Tatsuta River were the subject of this poem by Ariwara no Narihira (825-880) from episode 106 of the Tales of Ise:

All information displayed here is from Ellen Avril, Chief Curator and the Judith H. Stoikov Curator of Asian Art. Thank you Ellen.