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

Rachisen was a bunjin (literal man) painter in the early Yuan period and born in 臨川新喩 (Seiko, Jiangxi Province). Although Chinese books on art history do not mention anything about him and therefore the detailed background of Rachisen is unknown, it is estimated from his association with 范徳機Han Tokki ( - to 1330) and others from the same hometown that he was active around the Koshigen (1335 to 1340) era before the Sisei era.
This is one of the few paintings by Rachisen that depicts kanrinheienzu (a cold desolate landscape) and shows the style of the Rikaku school in the Yuan period, which was based on the form of kanrinheienzu of the Northern Song period. The old crooked tree in the center of the front and a string of dead trees on the left, the birds living on dead reeds and tree branches and the flock of birds flying in the wintry sky are drawn carefully. In a world represented almost only in sumi ink, the dead reeds and bamboo leaves are painted in light colors and the long-tailed birds and wild ducks shivering in the cold are depicted in strong colors, making this desolate landscape impressive. The signature and seal of “羅氏稚川” (hakubunhoin) is affixed to the picture.