Cypress Trees
This painting by Kanō Eitoku is a common example of paintings on fusuma or what one would describe as "paper doors" and hence a good example to learn about the same.
In the west, one would imagine the most appealing paintings to be that of religious or mythological importance. However, this isn't usually the case in Japanese art. Unlike the west, Japanese art is predominantly influenced by Chinese art forms where paintings are characterized by ideal ink landscapes, painted in brush, where varying values are accomplished by varying the density of ink.
Ink wash painting is usually done on xuan paper (Chinese) or washi (Japanese paper) both of which are highly absorbent and unsized.
Ink wash painting:Shōrin-zu byōbu 松林図 屏) by Hasegawa Tōhaku(1539–1610).
A Little Backstory
Kano Masanobu the founder of the Kanō school of painting. Kano Masanobu specialized in Zen paintings as well as elaborate paintings of Buddhist deities and Bodhisattva. He visited China mid-career and was influenced by the Chinese ink wash paintings as evident from his recorded works from when he began his career as a court artist for the Muromachi Government.
The new lords had risen to power by military skill, and mostly lacked immersion in the sophisticated traditions of Japanese culture long cultivated in Buddhist monasteries and the Imperial court. Bold and vigorous styles using bright colours on a gold leaf background appealed to the taste of these patrons and were applied to large folding screens (byōbu) and sets of sliding doors (fusuma).
Cypress Trees by Kano Eitoku
Hence, unlike the Chinese , the Japanese court paintings fashioned a gold foil across the entire platform as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
Hence, these gold foils are painted with bright and saturated colors, usually with oversized forms and can be seen as an evolution of the Chinese ink wash drawings under Japanese influences. The Kano school is usually attributed as one of the schools instrumental in popularizing such mediums and hence dominating the artistic styles for nearly 300 years.
The Kano school was founded by Kano Masanobu and Kano Eitoku was the grandson of Kano Masanobu
He painted one of the most famous of such paintings: The Cypress Trees
The cypress tree was painted to fill the 1m 70cm high, 4m 60cm screen. 2-4 panel folding screens. Upon its 2.5 yearlong restoration it was divided into two main panels separated by a distance because joining them would squeeze the painting.
Kano's works, earlier in his career, were flooded with minute details and intricacies which one can barely understand on the first glance. Later, on the influx of a multiple orders owing to his popularity, detailed pieces were no longer feasible as they were obviously more time consuming. As a result, Kano attributed his paintings with larger subjects occupying more space like the magnificent tree covering almost a third of the entire folding screens.
Why the Cypress tree? …. And why folding screens?
The obvious question that strikes the mind is "Why only the cypress tree? Out of every other tree?"
The Cypress tree is native to Japan, grows about 15m high and used because of its strong and fragrant wood. It was generally employed in imperial places and religious buildings, again, to showcase wealth and prosperity.
Though this only answers the question vaguely, it does reveal a hazy connection. The connection being the tree being used as a symbol of the opulence.
Despite the uniqueness of this medium and its contrasting influences, the part that still intrigues me the most was one of the purpose of these paintings. The paper doors(fusuma) discussed earlier were meant to divide the castle into smaller rooms and these doors were painted such that upon entering the room it felt as if one had entered into the space of the painting on its doors.
I can almost imagine myself sliding the door and savoring the fragrance of the cypress wood while the room transforms into a cypress forest.
Fun fact: Cypress if commonly used to grow as bonsai and its wood is used as traditional Japanese stick incense for its light, earthly aroma.
Even more interesting is the fact that this could mean that rooms with sliding doors painted with tigers and dragons(like in the example shown below) would be reserved for something completely different from those painted with cypress trees like discussed earlier.
Fusuma: Tigers and Dragon, Kishi Ganku ,1813-1838 (Edo)
Cypress Trees by Kano is now a National Treasure of Japan in Tokyo National Museum as best described by Paine as "typical for hurried sweep of composition, for pure nature design, and for strength of individual brush stroke. ... Golden cloud-like areas representing mist are placed arbitrarily in the background, and emphasize the decorative magnitude of what is otherwise the powerful drawing of giant tree forms".
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