Cherry Blossoms in Omuro

Omuro is an alternate name for Ninnaji Temple in Kyoto. A site famous for its cherry blossoms, here Keisen has not shown a simple abundance of flowers, but rather is said to have seen the cherry trees of Omuro in winter and imagined this scene. Standing in front of the bare limbed trees, Keisen then conjured a sense of each tree's individuality as he made them bloom across the composition. Keisen was born in Hakata and studied the Shijo style of painting in Kyoto. He was then later influenced by Tomioka Tessai and Sengai, and went on to create a wild painting style as a Nihonga painter fully aware of both Chinese and Japanese painting traditions. This work was displayed in the 20th Re-organized Inten exhibition where it was well received. Important as a signal of the new style of bird and flower paintings that Keisen was creating in his later life, this work is one of the major accomplishments of his oeuvre.