Reeds and Geese (Light Color on Paper; by Shugetsu)

A Pair of Muromachi Scrolls of Reeds and Geese

The Reeds and Geese (Light Color on Paper; by Shugetsu) (紙本淡彩芦雁図〈秋月筆〉, Shihon Tansai Rogan Zu) is a pair of Muromachi-period hanging scrolls in ink and light colour on paper, attributed to Shugetsu and privately owned in Tokyo, which in 1934 was designated an Important Cultural Property.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records a painting in two scrolls by Shugetsu, noting only that it is a work of the Muromachi period; dimensions and materials are not recorded.

Reeds and geese at the water's edge is a subject painted again and again in ink painting.

The Painter Shugetsu

The Agency's record gives the artist simply as Shugetsu. The best-known Muromachi painter of that name is the monk-painter Shugetsu Tokan, a pupil of Sesshu.

The Tokyo National Museum describes Shugetsu as the most famous of Sesshu's many pupils: a Zen monk who studied painting directly with Sesshu, was given Sesshu's self-portrait, returned home to Satsuma and later travelled to China.

The Fujita Museum notes that Shugetsu Tokan's dates are unknown and that he is said to have come from Kagoshima, and that a copy survives of the self-portrait Sesshu painted in the winter of his 71st year and gave him.

What to Look For

Light colour means ink with thin washes of colour added. Look at how touches of colour enliven the geese among the reeds.

As a pair, the two scrolls may answer each other in composition. They are rarely shown, however, and no official description of the compositions could be found.

Seeing the Scrolls

The Reeds and Geese (Light Color on Paper; by Shugetsu) is privately owned and not on regular display. If it appears in an exhibition, check the owner's or venue's information.