Written in the hands of Ohara Keizan and Kanō Tsunenobu
Mid-Edo period (First half of the 18th century)
Tangible Cultural Property, designated by Sakata city
Donated by the Homma family
Ohara Keizan (? – 1733) was an artist from the Nagasaki School who was assigned by the Nagasaki magistrate to work as an appraiser of Chinese paintings (a position in which he would most appraise paintings imported from foreign lands, as well as notate and sketch birds and beasts), also working as an artist himself.
Images in which the customs of foreigners who had arrived at Nagasaki harbor are portrayed were produced in great numbers during the Edo period. This painting was made in particularly close detail, even when compared to the great heft of other illustrations portraying foreigners, and is said to be one of Keizan’s masterpieces, showing off his true skill as an artist.
From the postscript written by Sasaki Bunzan on the end of the scroll, we have learned that the shogunate had ordered Ishikawa Tosanokami and Kusakabe Tanbanokami of the Nagasaki magistrate to create illustrations featuring the true-to-life appearances of foreigners, and prepare such works to be viewed by high-up officials. These two had Keizan copy old versions of such images of foreigners and compile them into a single volume. Afterwards, this volume was presented to the shōgunate in 1718.