Spring Landscape: Cherry Blossoms at Yoshino

Reizei Tamechika’s pair of landscapes are examples of the revival of yamato-e, the style of Japanese painting that evokes classical Japanese themes and places. Here the artist depicts places of seasonal scenic beauty in Japan: on the right is Mount Yoshino, admired for its mountain cherry trees that blossom in spring, while on the left is the Tatsuta River and its myriad maple trees that turn brilliant red in the autumn. A poet admires each scene, thus recalling famous poems about these locations. Mount Yoshino’s cherry blossoms inspired the poet Saigyo (1118-1190) to write this lyric:Yoshino MountainBlossoms tumbled to the footOf trees, fasteningMy heart there with them…Waiting still for my return -trans. William LaFleurThe maple trees along the Tatsuta River were the subject of this poem by Ariwara no Narihira (825-880) from episode 106 of the Tales of Ise:Unheard of Even in the ageOf the mighty gods—These deep crimson splashesDyed in Tatsuta’s waters -trans. Helen McCullough