Pine Forest

On white paper, the pine forest, mist and light are expressed in ink alone. The pines are placed in about four groups, with spacing that lets the wind seem to pass between the trees. Shifts in the shading of ink express the strength of light, and distant snowy mountains are faintly drawn deep in the forest. It is a picture that conveys even the cold, damp air.

Looking closely at the pine needles, one can see violent brush marks drawn in a single sweep without hesitation. As to the brushes used, it has been suggested that they included ones with several tufts layered together, bamboo tips crushed into fibers, or bundled straw, but this is not certain. Seen from a distance, the pine trunks sway in the wind as if dancing a Noh dance. Tohaku painted the pine forest, a traditional Japanese subject, using ink techniques learned from Chinese painting.

As for the place depicted, there are theories that it is the beach of Noto, Tohaku's home region, or Amanohashidate or Miho no Matsubara. Because a pine cut off at the right edge of the right screen appears to connect with the branch tips at the left edge of the left screen, it has been proposed that the screens were originally the other way around, and because the paper joins do not line up and coarse paper was used, it has also been suggested that this was a preliminary sketch; it is a work with many mysteries. It is held by the Tokyo National Museum.