Autumn Millet and Small Birds 1559 - 1635

"Autumn Millet and Small Birds" is a screen made with ink, color, and gold leaf on paper by Kano Sanraku, a prominent artist of the Kano school, active during the late 16th and early 17th centuries in Japan. During Sanraku’s time, Japan was undergoing significant political and cultural shifts. The Momoyama and early Edo periods saw the rise of powerful feudal lords and a renewed interest in Japanese art and culture. The screen’s imagery—small birds amidst autumn millet—reflects a deep connection to the natural world, a common theme in Japanese art. What is striking, however, is how the opulence of the gold leaf transforms this pastoral scene into a display of wealth and power, typical of art patronized by the warrior class. Sanraku, adopted by Kano Eitoku, inherited and further developed the Kano school’s style, blending Chinese landscape painting traditions with Japanese decorative arts. His personal journey, from adopted son to a leading artist, parallels the dynamic societal changes of his time. The screen thus represents an intersection of personal identity, artistic lineage, and the socio-political context of feudal Japan.