Although his artistic career is not well chronicled, Kusumi Morikage can be considered a pioneer who visually conceptualised “rural manners and customs”.

[3] Some notable works include: Family Enjoying the Evening Cool, Falconry Folding Screens and Farming in the Four Seasons.

[6] Initially, when the school was founded, Kanō Masanobu adopted the Chinese painting style favoured by Zen philosophy - depicted by strong brushwork, dominant use of ink and minimal use of pigments.

As expected of Kanō students, Morikage trained under Tan’yū to create an art style that was politically rigid.

[8] When Morikage was cast out by his master, Kanō Tan’yū, he was appointed as the official painter for the Maeda Clan of the Kaga Province.

[11] Today, Landscape of the Four Seasons is a notable artwork that reflects the deep ties between the Maeda Clan and Kanō School.

When Morikage relocated to Kaga after being cast out by Tan’yū, he resided in Kanazawa, and formed important relationships with Maeda lords, Imaeda and Obata families, as well as the city magistrate, Kataoka Magobee.

[11] The artworks Ritual of Racehorse at Kamigamo Shrine and Picking Tea at Uji are believed to be some of Morikage’s best artistic successes, painted during his stay in Kanazawa.

This theme is also resonant in the works of Hanabusa Itchō (1652 - 1724), who similarly departed from the Kanō school and came to be known for painting the ‘customs of city life or pastoral villages’.

[13] However, despite this tumultuous reputation, it’s understood that Hikojuro continued to receive commissions for paintings even while in exile due to his faithful mastery of Kanō teachings and traditions.

[13] Considered a national treasure, this painting illustrates a peasant family using a combination of fine brushwork, rough brush strokes as well as dilute ink.

[3] Additionally, other than visualising a unique take on rural and familial structures in Edo Japan, it is also proposed that Morikage was inspired by a waka poem by the poet Kinoshita Katsutoshi (1569 - 1649), otherwise known by his pen name, Chōshōshi.

[13] Another study observes that the painting is constructed with ‘eremitic recluse ideas that would have been learned in a Chinese style education’, found in motifs such as the gourd.

[13] The overall significance of this piece in rendering a peaceful peasant family amidst agricultural crisis prompted its selection for the Tokyo National Museum exhibition in 2001.

[9] The painting largely illustrates falconry, while other birds such as swans and cranes are also hunted – depicting a scene that would be common in the Tokugawa family.

Painted as a pair of six folding screens, Farming in the Four Seasons depicts rural customs in Japan, representing Morikage’s sympathy for the agricultural industry.