Accession Number
1963/1.97

Title
Strolling in the Mountains

Artist(s)
Soga Shōhaku

Object Creation Date
18th century

Medium & Support
hanging scroll, ink on paper

Dimensions
49 1/16 in x 19 11/16 in (124.6 cm x 50 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
Soga Shōhaku was originally trained in the Kanō school, but is mostly known for his revival of Muromachi period (1333-1573) styles of ink painting that drew from Song (960-1279) and Ming dynasty (1368-1644) works that were imported from China at the time. Images of figures traveling through monocromatic landscapes were derrived from Chinese painting traditions, and would have been understood as "kara-e" or "Chinese pictures" as a separate stylistic mode than "yamato-e" or "Japanese pictures".

Physical Description
This hanging scroll depicts a man walking along a mountainous path overlooking a group of buildings and distant mountains. In the foreground, the figure moves to the left, and is placed before a large tree growing out of the rocks. The middle of the painting is dominated by a diagonal line created by the roofs of various structures leading to three larger mountain peaks, indicated with light gray washes. 

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
hanging scroll

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Japan
Landscapes
buildings (structures)
figures in landscape
hanging scroll
hanging scrolls
houses
ink
mountains
passes
trees