National Museum of Asian Art
Ivy vines, bridges and floating fans 蔦の細道扇面流図屏風
Tawaraya Sotatsu 俵屋宗達 (fl. ca. 1600-1643) · early 17th century
The image of painted fans spilling off from a bridge into a stream evokes the memory of the legendary journey made by a fifteenth-century shogun traveling from the center of Kyoto to an outlying temple. While crossing a bridge, one of the shogun's servants accidentally dropped his master's fan into the rushing water below. Struck by the sudden poignant reminder of beauty's fragility and fleeting nature, all in the shogun's retinue followed suit, casting their fans into the stream.
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