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

Shūbun is regarded as one of the most important painters in the Muromachi period. He produced not only paintings, but also sculptures. In this regard, he can be called a genius and artist with multiple talents, as was the Renaissance master Michelangelo.
　At present, the paintings that are highly likely to be Shūbun's are landscapes of relatively small sizes, including Chikusaidokushozu (Reading in a Bamboo Grove) and Suishoku Rankōzu (Hue of the Water, Light on the Peaks). However, it is known from records that Shūbun also painted shouheiga (painting on large surfaces of architectural structures) with motifs of birds and flowers and landscapes, so it is likely that he played an important role in the field of large landscapes; there is no existing painting of that kind proven to be his.
Landscapes on screens traditionally believed to be Shūbun's include, other than this piece, the Maeda Ikutokukai version, the Seikadōbunko Museum version, the Yamato Bunkakan version, the Kousetsu Museum version, and another version in Tokyo National Museum. This piece is, along with those, thought to be painted by painters from Shūbun's disciples' generation. The motifs in the picture include a mountain village, sailing ships, the moon, wild geese, a fishing village, and a snowscape, all of which are motifs in Shoushou Hakkei paintings (Ch: Xiaoxiang bajing, Eight views of the Xiao and the Xiang. The eight views are "wild geese descending to a sandbar"; "returning sails off a distant shore"; "mountain village after a storm"; "river sky in the evening snow"; "autumn moon over Lake Dongting"; "night rain over the Xiao and Xiang"; "evening bell from a distant temple"; and, "fishing village in the sunset glow"). Because of this, it is reasonable to assume that the composition of this　picture was largely taken from some Shoushou Hakkei paintings imported from China. As there are some parts where the continuity of space is not natural, this piece is likely to have been produced in the late fifteen century, when the composition technique for large pictures was not fully developed yet.