Chinese Black Pines and Maple Trees

Extending from the right edge to the left front, a curving black pine is arranged with a vertical pine, with a maple tree whose upper leaves have turned red and various autumnal grasses, such as bellflowers, adding a bit of color to the ground plane. Chinese black pines are a featured motif in autumnal waka poetry, and their use here as a central motif evokes a connection with waka. This tree was also a favorite motif of Sôtatsu, with bold composition and the motifs extending above and below the composition, characteristic of his particular design skills. These traits were then carried on by later generations of Rimpa school painters and became one of the signature elements of their style. Ogata Kôrin (1658-1716), who greatly revered Sôtatsu and sought to carry on his painting style, created his own version of this painting, Chinese Black Pine and Maple Trees (The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts), thus indicating that this work was highly regarded during Kôrin's period.