Gold & Ink · Four sliding-door panels · Kanō Sansetsu, 1646
Old Plum
An old plum that moves like a dragon.
The Work
Four sliding doors from Tenshō-in, a subtemple of Myōshin-ji in Kyoto. An ancient plum crawls sideways across the gold.
Look Closer
The trunk twists like a dragon. Only a few small blossoms open — yet the old tree overflows with life.
The Artist
Sansetsu was born in 1590 in Hizen, Kyushu. He trained under Kanō Sanraku in Kyoto and became his son-in-law and heir.
The Artist
When the main Kanō line moved to Edo, his "Kyoto Kanō" branch stayed behind. His style is geometric and a little strange.
Japan at the Time
In the 1640s, under shogun Iemitsu, Japan's "closed country" policy took hold; foreign trade was limited to places like Nagasaki.
Culture & Values
The plum is the first flower to bloom in the cold. Enduring winter, it stood for learning and perseverance.
Meanwhile, in the World
At the same time, the Taj Mahal was rising in India; in Amsterdam, Rembrandt had finished The Night Watch in 1642.
Afterward
Long overlooked, Sansetsu's eccentric style has been rediscovered in recent decades.
Listen while you look
This work stays on screen for about ten minutes in the full hour of Gold & Ink, with The Old Plum Awakens and Dragon In The Plum Tree.
Take this print home
Printed to order and shipped worldwide.
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