Spring and Autumn Farming (Spring) - Kō Sūkoku

A detailed six-panel screen painting by Kō Sūkoku depicting the seasonal activities of rural life in Edo-period Japan.

This work by Kō Sūkoku depicts the seasonal activities of rural life during the Edo period. The composition is spread across a six-panel screen, a format that allows for a wide, panoramic view of the countryside. The artist employs a technique where gold leaf is applied to the background, creating a luminous atmosphere that suggests the soft light of spring.

In the foreground, figures engage in agricultural labour, including the preparation of fields and the tending of crops. The architecture consists of traditional thatched-roof structures, which are integrated into the natural surroundings of rolling hills, pine trees, and a winding stream. The use of ink for the figures and vegetation provides a contrast to the metallic surface of the paper.

Kō Sūkoku was a painter associated with the Nanga school, yet this piece leans towards the genre painting tradition, which focused on the daily lives of common people. The perspective is slightly elevated, allowing the viewer to observe the various activities occurring simultaneously across the panels. The inclusion of a small torii gate near the centre adds a layer of cultural context, grounding the scene in a specific Japanese setting. The brushwork is precise, capturing the movement of the workers and the textures of the landscape without unnecessary ornamentation. This print captures the quiet rhythm of agrarian life, presented with the technical refinement characteristic of late eighteenth-century Japanese art.