Landscape

Kano Motonobu was the eldest son of Kano Masanobu, the founder of the Kano school, and succeeded his father as the head of the school. He established three formulae–shin (formal), gyō (semi-formal), and sō (informal)–for the basic composition of a painting. He trained a large number of students and rendered it possible for many painters to create one work. He also expanded his repertoire to include genres such as handscrolls and paintings that depicted the customs of the day, and large works on goldleafed paper, which had formerly been the province of yamato-e painters. In doing so, he was responsible for the remarkable success of the Kano school.
This painting is an excellent example of Motonobu’s work and represents his development of a painting technique by which he could capture the true essence of things. This then led to the title of the painting, literally, “the true landscape.” The work is notable for its unfailingly firm composition and the use of thin brushstrokes to create a carefully refined expression. Of the numerous landscape paintings he left, this piece, in particular, is notable. It is unquestionably the work of a professional painter. The Date family, the lords of the former Sendai fief, formerly
owned this painting.