Hanging scroll painting: Returning Home

Working in the style based on Chinese 'literati' principles, Kawamura Bunpo produced paintings and book illustrations of both Chinese themes and of contemporary life in Kyoto, the latter often dressed up in a Sinified (i.e. Chinese) style. In this painting, a man makes his way along a path crossing a small stream towards a rustic retreat. Behind him, a servant carries his possessions. The brushwork is free and spontaneous, with plentiful use of washes softening the contours of the forms. The scene calls to mind the poem on 'Returning Home' by the 5th-century Chinese poet Tao Yuanming.