Edo period (1615-1868)
Plain of Musashi late 1600s-early 1700s
pair of six fold screens, ink, colour, gold on paper
156 x 360 cm each
Purchased 2000
143.2000a-b

The Aesthetic of Transience

An affinity with nature and an acute awareness of the changing of the seasons has always been a driving force of Japanese art and literature. In the Japanese aesthetic that emerged in the courtly culture of the Heian period (795-1185), the changes in the seasons were used as metaphors for the emotions: thus the beauty of the cherry blossom evoked joy, followed by sadness as the petals scattered soon after. This sensitivity to the impermanence of all things forms the basis of the uniquely Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware (literally 'the sadness of things'). The aesthetic continued to be fostered by the samurai who ruled Japan over the succeeding centuries, and seasonal depictions of nature were always highly popular subjects of Japanese art.