Metempsychosis

The handscroll is viewed by unrolling it from right to left. A single drop born from vapor in the air gathers streams into a river and eventually flows into the sea. At the end, a dragon emerges from the sea and ascends to the heavens.

The title, Seisei Ruten, is a Buddhist term expressing how all things are born and continue to change. It is painted in gradations of ink alone on silk about 55 centimeters high and about 40.7 meters long. Despite the vast length of the picture, the composition never falters, and the ink-painting style that Taikan built up while exploring a new Japanese painting under Okakura Tenshin comes together in one grand conception. A date, signature and seal appear at the end of the scroll.

This work was shown in 1923 at an exhibition of the Japan Art Institute (the tenth exhibition after its revival). The Japan Art Institute is the art association that Taikan and others revived after Tenshin's death. It is a late masterpiece marking the culmination of the experiments in new Japanese painting that he pursued under Tenshin's guidance together with Hishida Shunso, Shimomura Kanzan and others. It was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1967 and purchased by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, in fiscal 1973.