Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons (Screens)

Many bird-and-flower screens are attributed to Sesshu (1420-1506?), but most of them are works by his pupils. "Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons" is the only one regarded as painted by Sesshu himself, and it is designated an Important Cultural Property.

On both screens, huge pine and plum trees hold up the whole composition, surrounded by seasonal plants and birds. The strangely bent trees and the strongly characterized birds give the picture a distinctive tension and heaviness. This is thought to reflect the influence of Chinese bird-and-flower paintings of around the Ming dynasty that served as models.

There is a tradition that the screens were made in 1483 to celebrate Munekane, grandson of Masuda Kanetaka of Iwami, succeeding to his stipend, but no firm evidence has been found. The image shows part of the screens, with a twisting pine trunk and a white bird with a red head.