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

Seasons change from left to right. The left screen depicts spring and summer: people soaking seeds, plowing fields and planting rice. The right screen depicts fall and winter: people harvesting rice, threshing grain, and a distant view of snow-capped hills. In addition, the work vividly captures Japanese farmers’ way of life with scenes of people resting by the waterside and a man chasing a dog away. Within this traditional subject matter, the artist infused a fresh sensibility. This is an excellent example of the work of Kusumi Morikage (n.d.), the early Edo-period Kanô-school painter.