National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

The picture on the viewer's right is Saigo Shunkei-zu (lit. picture of the spring scenery of Saigo), the one on the left is Sentou Kanchou-zu (lit. picture of high-tide watching on the Qian Tang Jiang River). Saigo (or Saiko, Ch: Xihu, lit. west lake) is a lake to the west of the walled city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, which has been known as a place of scenic beauty since early times. In Japan, it was often painted by the kanga (lit. Chinese painting)-style painters. Sentou Kanchou is to watch the high tide of the Qian Tang Jiang River that flows upstream on August 18 on the lunar calendar. Ikeno Taiga (1723–1776) is known as the painter who brought Japanese nanga (literati painting, lit. southern painting) style to perfection. The subtle touch of the dotting of the trees and rocks, the horizontal lines of the spring haze, and the harmony of deep blue, yellow, and dark-red colors of the river flow of the Qian Tang Jiang create a pleasant impression for the viewer.