The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang

By Kanō Tan’yu, Naonobu, Yasunobu and Masunobu
1644–50
Donated by Haga Yonekichi

The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang depicts eight scenes from the vicinity of Lake Dongting, a famous scenic spot in China in what is now the modern Hunan Province. The scenes were popular subjects for poems, drawings and paintings during the Song Dynasty (11th century). When they reached Japan, they became highly favoured as subjects for ink wash paintings, inspiring variants such as the Eight Views of Ōmi and the Eight Views of Kanazawa.

This illustrated scroll consists of two volumes, produced in competition by the three brothers Kanō Tan’yu, Shonobu and Yasunobu, and Tan’yu’s adopted son Masunobu.