Illustrations of Japan's Famous Mountains (Nihon meizan zufu) in 3 Volumes Possibly 1804

Curator: Here we have Tani Buncho’s "Illustrations of Japan's Famous Mountains" in three volumes. Editor: There is a quietude to their presentation, a delicate simplicity that feels very Zen, almost meditative. Curator: Buncho, active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, captured not just mountains, but also a sense of Japanese identity deeply rooted in its landscape. Mountains are often seen as sacred places. Editor: Absolutely. And how does this connect to contemporary issues of environmentalism and cultural preservation, when these landscapes are threatened by development and climate change? Curator: It brings a whole new layer to our experience of these images, doesn't it? Editor: It does. It makes me question what future generations will see when they look back at our depiction of landscapes today.