Cherry and Maple (Color on Gold Ground Paper; nine panels for the walls and two for the sliding doors)

Cherry and Maple at Chishakuin

The Cherry and Maple (Color on Gold Ground Paper; nine panels for the walls and two for the sliding doors) (紙本金地著色桜楓図〈壁貼付九／襖貼付二〉) is a Momoyama-period gold-ground wall painting held by Chishakuin in Higashigawara-cho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, made up of nine wall panels and two sliding-door panels, and designated a National Treasure on March 29, 1952. It is part of the Chishakuin wall paintings by Hasegawa Tohaku and his workshop.

In the Agency for Cultural Affairs' records it is branch 02 of designation number 00041. Its nine wall panels and two sliding-door panels include the Maple and Cherry Blossoms, the best known of the Chishakuin paintings.

Why It Is a National Treasure

According to the Kyoto City Foundation for Conservation of Cultural Heritage, the Chishakuin paintings come from the guest hall of Shounji, the temple Toyotomi Hideyoshi built in memory of his first son Tsurumatsu, who died aged three in 1591, and were probably finished by the third-year memorial service in 1593. They were painted by Hasegawa Tohaku (1539 to 1610), his son Kyuzo and the Hasegawa workshop; of the more than 100 panels thought to have existed, some 20 principal ones survive. Shounji's buildings were given to Chishakuin by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1615.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency's commentary, the Cherry Blossoms was painted by Tohaku's son Kyuzo at the age of 25: a great, striking cherry tree on a gold-leaf ground, every petal finely rendered. Kyuzo died the year after completing it.

The Kyoto City foundation's commentary singles out the Maple, with its autumn grasses, as the painting in which the contrast between enduring giant trees and fragile flowers is felt most strongly. That father's Maple and son's Cherry Blossoms have come down together is a large part of the set's appeal.

What to Look For

In the Maple, look at the giant maple stretching across the picture and the autumn grasses blooming around it. The foundation sees in Tohaku's adoption of Kano Eitoku's monumental trees, softened by surrounding flowers, a shift in taste from grandeur to elegance.

In the Cherry Blossoms, look at the petals set against the gold. Comparing the two pictures by father and son shows both the difference in their hands and the high point of the Hasegawa school's gold-ground painting.

Seeing the Painting

The Kyoto City foundation describes the National Treasure gold-ground paintings as stored and displayed in Chishakuin's treasure hall, and the Japan Tourism Agency's commentary likewise says they are kept in the temple's storehouse.

Chishakuin's website was under maintenance on October 4, 2026, so viewing hours, admission and display status could not be confirmed. Check with the temple (075-541-5361) before visiting. The address is 964 Higashigawara-cho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto.