This work was painted by Sakai Hoitsu on the reverse side of 'Wind God and Thunder God', a folding-screen painting by Ogata Korin. It was removed from the back of Korin's painting in 1974 and the two works are now mounted on separate screens.
Flowering plants from summer and autumn are depicted on a silver backdrop reminiscent of moonlight. The screen to your right features summer plants like lilies and Japanese bindweed. The tips of their leaves dip toward the ground in a crest-fallen manner. Rainwater flows across the surface in the background. This device allows the painter to depict a sudden summer storm without drawing actual raindrops.
On the screen to your left, autumn plants like kudzu vines, thoroughworts, pampas grass and maples are blown from right to left by a strong wind. The sheer power of the wind is conveyed by the colors of the upturned leaves and the sight of maple leaves swirling in the air. The summer scene was originally painted on the back of Korin's Thunder God screen, with the autumn scene painted on the back of the Wind God screen. In other words, the summer plants are being battered by rains caused by the Thunder God, while the autumn plants are being blown about by gales whipped up by the Wind God.
Hoitsu's work mirrors Korin's in several other ways. While the former depicts earth using silver hues, for example, the latter depicts the heavens in a keynote gold. Hoitsu's admiration for Korin are in full display in these interplays.

This mask was worn for the roles of young women. The original on which it is based was so popular that numerous copies of it were produced over the centuries.

This tachi long sword has a strong curvature and slim shape. Another striking feature is the intricate complexity of the tempering pattern that sits gleaming between the black ground metal and the white blade edge. A glance above the temper pattern reveals a shiny crescent-moon-shaped pattern. The Japanese word for crescent moon is “mikazuki,” which explains why the sword is named “Mikazuki Munechika.” Munechika was a swordsmith said to have lived in Kyoto's Sanjo district during the late Heian period. Hardly any of his swords are still with us today. This sword was once owned by the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a 16th century warlord who unified Japan. It was later bequeathed to the second Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and it was subsequently passed down through the Tokugawa family.

Using only powerful brush strokes with different shades of ink, the artist has depicted pine trees looming amongst the mist. This is a masterpiece by Hasegawa Tohaku, one of the foremost painters of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
The painting seems to play tricks on our senses. Can you see the mist swirling and the light peeking out from the shadows? Can you hear the wind rustling through the pines? The painting's charm lies in the way the artist has faithfully captured the atmosphere of the scene rather than painstakingly trying to recreate the actual shape of the trees. This is also why the work has been described as the pinnacle of Japanese ink painting.
If you look closely, you can see the hazy outline of a snowy mountain behind the trees in the distance. Is this late autumn, with winter just around the corner? Or are we looking at spring, when the snow begins to melt? Some say the painting depicts a pine grove near the shore of the Noto Peninsula, Tohaku's home province. Others say it shows the Miho no Matsubara pine grove or the Amanohashidate sandbank, both subjects found in older Japanese paintings. Naturally, there is no right or wrong answer. Thoughts and feelings will differ from person to person, so take a good look and see what landscapes this painting conjures up in your mind.

This unusual work depicts the moment Maya gave birth to the child who would become the Buddha. As queen of the Shakya clan, she visited a garden called Lumbini Grove when she was still pregnant. There she grasped a branch of a flowering Ashoka tree, and in that moment, her child was born, emerging from Maya’s right side. He is said to have immediately taken seven steps, and then declared that he had been born to save all the people of the world. One tradition tells that the gods Brahma and Sakra then poured aromatic water over Siddhartha and washed his body.
Maya holds her right arm upwards, her hand closed as if holding on to a branch. Her feet are placed firmly, and her left hand clenches the sleeve of her clothing, perhaps expressing the strength she is exerting as she gives birth. Looking at her right side, we can see the future Buddha being born, hands clasped in prayer. Around her are sculptures of celestial beings holding ewers and other items. These sculptures would have been used during the annual celebration of the birth of the Buddha on the eighth day of the fourth month. On this day, they would have been purified in a ceremony by having water and other liquids poured over them.

This painting depicts a beautiful woman in a yukata (informal cotton kimono) sitting by a lakeside with an uchiwa (a round fan) in her hand. This woman is Taneko Kaneko (later her name was changed to Teruko), who would become the wife of Seiki Kuroda. According to Mrs. Kuroda's recollection, when they visited Hakone, Kuroda asked Teruko to sit for him as he saw her sitting on a rock by Lake Ashi (Ashinoko). Lake Ashi at the time was a popular summer resort among foreigners and this painting was initially titled "Summer Resort."
Seiki Kuroda is known as a maestro in Japanese oil painting and studied painting in France. After he came back to Japan, he made a big change in Japan's oil painting circles. The bright representation created by changing light and air, which features Kuroda's works, was called "Shinpa" or "Murasakiha" and loved by many people.

This is a set of two six-panel folding screens. It depicts central Kyoto as seen from the south. The two screens are connected by a river that flows diagonally towards the bottom right. This is Kamo River, which flows north to south through the eastern part of Kyoto. To the west of the river in the left section, lies the city center, while the suburbs lie to the east of the river on the right. The large building on the far right is the Daibutsu-den, or the Great Buddha Hall, of Hoko-ji Temple. Nijo Castle is drawn to the far left.
The scene is bustling with around 2,500 people, young and old, male and female. They are depicted enjoying themselves and going about their daily lives. Take a look at the large bridge slightly left of the center of the right-hand screen, for example. This is Gojo Ohashi Bridge. A riotous bunch of revelers is crossing the bridge, perhaps on the way back from cherry blossom viewing. The procession is led by dancing merrymakers who hold fans and cherry blossom branches. At the back, a drunken man is being held up on both sides. Under the bridge, surprised boatmen look up at the commotion. As we observe the children playing, the people arguing, and the expressions on each individual face, we are drawn deeper into the world of the screens.
It is also fun to try to spot famous landmarks and events that can still be found in Kyoto today. These include Sanjusangen-do Temple, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Shrine, and the Gion festival. These scenes were painted by Iwasa Matabei, a painter who was active from the Azuchi-Momoyama period to the start of the Edo period, around the late 16th century to early 17th century, in places like Kyoto, Fukui, and Edo, as Tokyo was formerly known. Matabei was renowned for his vibrant portrayals of people, as this work amply testifies.