Landscape c. late 19th century

Tomioka Tessai made this landscape painting with ink on paper, but its apparent simplicity masks a complex engagement with Japanese social and intellectual history. Made during the Meiji and Taisho periods when Japan opened up to the West, Tessai’s work embodies a desire to return to earlier artistic traditions. He studied with prominent scholars of Japanese and Chinese literature. He was interested in the values of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism which helped him produce work in the Bunjinga style. This style valued the artist’s personality and learning above strict representation. We can see this in his expressive brushwork, and the poetic inscription at the top. To understand Tessai fully, we need to look at his other paintings, his writings, and the work of his teachers. By doing so, we start to understand the place of tradition and individual expression in early 20th century Japan.