Irises and a Knife

In the middle of the vertical canvas sits a dark metal flower vessel with a narrowed waist, from which rise the straight leaves of irises and three deep purple flowers. Water shines white at the mouth of the vessel, and at the lower left of it lies a knife with a red handle, set at an angle. Nothing is painted in the background, and at the top are Shozan's signature and seal.

According to the commentary of the Akita Senshu Museum of Art, the purple of the petals was made by thinly dissolving Prussian blue, an imported blue pigment, and combining it with a crimson. Shades of purple express the thickness of the petals and a moist feel, and the sharp shapes of the leaves resonate with the dully gleaming knife. The knife is said to be set at an angle to give the picture depth.

Shozan was the eighth lord of the Akita domain. He sent his retainer Odano Naotake to Edo to study Western painting methods under Hiraga Gennai, and himself painted Western-style pictures. In 1778 (Anei 7) he wrote "Gaho Koryo" and "Gazu Rikai," regarded as Japan's first treatises on Western painting. That a daimyo took up new painting methods himself is a major characteristic of Akita ranga.

This work is designated a tangible cultural property of Akita Prefecture and is owned by the Senshu Museum of Art. The museum introduces works in its Akita ranga corner, rotating the display.