Visits from Faraway Countries

Visits from Faraway Countries 

渡来図

Artist
MORITA, Kohei
森田 曠平
Birth Year
1916
Death Year
1994
Date
1978 
Technique, Material, Format
color on paper, triptych 
Dimension
193.5 x 238.4 cm 
Donor name
Mr. Morita Kohei
Category
Nihonga (Japanese-style Painting) 
Inventory Number
88-JP-052 

Morita Kohei took inspiration from collections of poems celebrating Nanban culture, such as Kitahara Hakushu’s Jashumon and Kinoshita Mokutaro’s Amakusa Gumi. Nanban culture refers to an exotic 16th century hybrid born when Japan allowed European culture to enter the country through trade with Portugal and other countries. The form of this work, comprising three connected screens, is influenced by Christian altarpieces. The clothing and wine glasses of the people depicted, as well as the crucifix motifs, are richly colored. While there is an opulence in the people’s appearance, they also have somewhat dark and stolid expressions. The stresses of everyday life in a period of great upheaval are plain to see.
(KUMASAKA Kumi)

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