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

　Gakuō is a monk-painter who was active between the latter half of the 15th century and the early 16th century. He was a disciple of Shūbun and close to Ryouan Keigo (1425–1514) who was a Zen (Ch: Chan) monk from the Ise region. He inherited Shūbun's painting style, but his paintings are much more detailed and his touch of sumi is smooth. The composition of this piece, which is similar to koen sansui (landscape viewed from a low angle), is regarded as a sign of the influence of the new style of landscape painting in the Ming period. This landscape was originally handed down to the Date family in Sendai and donated to this museum long after by Matsunaga Yasuzaemon, who was a businessman in the Taisho and Showa periods and promoted the privatization of the electricity business based on regional blocks.