Amusements in Kyoto in the Four Seasons

Amusements in Kyoto in the Four Seasons

Maruyama Ōkyo 円山応挙

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Born to farmers in the Kyoto region, Ōkyo moved to the capital while in his teens and rose from an apprenticeship in a toy shop to being one of the most celebrated artists in Kyoto. The founder of the Maruyama school, he incorporated elements of Chinese painting traditions and Western perspective and realism into Japanese styles. This handscroll is either Ōkyo’s preparatory drawing for, or a sketchlike copy of, his 1777 polychrome handscroll painting of the same title (Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya). The scroll begins with a spring cherry- blossom outing on the banks of the Hozu River, followed by townspeople cooling off at the Kamo River in summer; early autumn is represented by traditional Obon dances, and winter by men and women arranging auspicious pine-sapling decorations for the New Year.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Amusements in Kyoto in the Four SeasonsAmusements in Kyoto in the Four SeasonsAmusements in Kyoto in the Four SeasonsAmusements in Kyoto in the Four SeasonsAmusements in Kyoto in the Four Seasons

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.