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

The title poem on the top by Nanko Sogen informs us that this scroll was given as a going-away gift to a boy named Shikei, who was returning to Kyoto. The boat moving forward with its sail filled by the wind and a flock of seagulls flying low among the waves (Nanko’s alias contains the kanji character for seagull) allude to those who are leaving as well as to those who are seeing them off. This is a typical farewell scene, a favorite subject of hanging scrolls, combining poetry and painting.