大雅堂画山水縮図

Taigadō ga sansui shukuzu

After Ike no Taiga
Copied and the postscript by Usō

1858

This book reproduces a pair of six-panel screens by the renowned artist Ike no Taiga. On each spread, the left page features a landscape scene, while the right page displays a corresponding four-character title in thin outline. The scenes follow a seasonal sequence from early spring to winter, mirroring the traditional right-to-left progression of a folding screen. A final page features Taiga’s signature and seals, also in outline. The use of outlined characters suggests that the calligraphy was traced directly from the original screens. Despite the much smaller scale, the book captures the essential imagery of the original work.

According to the preface by Shinozaki Shōchiku and the postscript by Monk Usō, who transcribed the titles and images, this book was commissioned by the owners of the screens, the Hasegawa family of Enai village in the Sanuki Domain (present-day Kotohira-chō, Kagawa Prefecture). While the specific commissioner is uncertain, the Hasegawa were wealthy farmers and sake brewers, known at the time for Hasegawa Satarō (1827–1898), a devoted advocate of the Sonnō Jōi (“Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians”) movement.

Likely due to its nature as a private commission intended for distribution among friends, no other copies of this specific version are currently known. However, variant copies under various titles were introduced by the independent art historian Aimi Kōu (1874–1970) and have appeared in Japanese auction catalogues. Although the reference plates in those publications are small, they clearly show the titles and signatures inked in reverse, similar to ink rubbings. In contrast, this copy features the calligraphy only in outline.

This book reproduces a pair of six-panel screens by the renowned artist Ike no Taiga. On each spread, the left page features a landscape scene, while the right page displays a corresponding four-character title in thin outline. The scenes follow a seasonal sequence from early spring to winter, mirroring the traditional right-to-left progression of a folding screen. A final page features Taiga’s signature and seals, also in outline. The use of outlined characters suggests that the calligraphy was traced directly from the original screens. Despite the much smaller scale, the book captures the essential imagery of the original work.

According to the preface by Shinozaki Shōchiku and the postscript by Monk Usō, who transcribed the titles and images, this book was commissioned by the owners of the screens, the Hasegawa family of Enai village in the Sanuki Domain (present-day Kotohira-chō, Kagawa Prefecture). While the specific commissioner is uncertain, the Hasegawa were wealthy farmers and sake brewers, known at the time for Hasegawa Satarō (1827–1898), a devoted advocate of the Sonnō Jōi (“Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians”) movement.

Likely due to its nature as a private commission intended for distribution among friends, no other copies of this specific version are currently known. However, variant copies under various titles were introduced by the independent art historian Aimi Kōu (1874–1970) and have appeared in Japanese auction catalogues. Although the reference plates in those publications are small, they clearly show the titles and signatures inked in reverse, similar to ink rubbings. In contrast, this copy features the calligraphy only in outline.

Title:

大雅堂画山水縮図
Taigadō ga sansui shukuzu

Creator:

After Ike no Taiga 池大雅 (1723–1776)
Preface Shinozaki Shōchiku 篠崎小竹 (1781-1851)
Copied and the postscript by Usō 雨窓

Date:

1858

Culture:

Description:

1 volume

Medium:

Woodblock printed; ink and color on paper

Classification:

Object Number:

2025.25

Provenance:

Commissioned by Hasegawa Family 長谷川家, 1858; Owned by Mabutchi Family 馬淵家; Acquired by Kobayashi Katsuhiro 小林克弘 (1938–2007), 1991; Purchased from Boston Book Company, 2025.