Spring and Autumn Farming - Kō Sūkoku

A detailed pair of six-panel folding screens by Kō Sūkoku depicting the seasonal agricultural activities of the Japanese Edo period.

This work by Kō Sūkoku depicts the seasonal rhythms of agricultural life in Japan during the Edo period. The composition is presented as a pair of six-panel folding screens, a format designed to divide interior spaces while providing a continuous narrative surface. The artist employs a technique known as 'fukinuki-yatai', or 'blown-off roof', which allows the viewer to observe the activities occurring within the structures alongside the external labour of the fields.

The upper screen focuses on the spring season, showing figures engaged in planting and early cultivation. The lower screen shifts to the autumn harvest, with scenes of threshing and preparation for the colder months. Throughout both panels, the application of gold leaf creates a luminous atmosphere, suggesting a sense of prosperity and order. The figures are rendered with precise, delicate brushwork, capturing the specific gestures of farmers, merchants, and travellers.

Kō Sūkoku was a painter of the Nanga school, yet this piece demonstrates a clear engagement with traditional genre painting, or 'fūzokuga'. The balance between the human activity and the surrounding topography is managed through the use of mist and clouds, which act as compositional devices to separate distinct scenes without creating harsh borders. The palette remains restrained, relying on the contrast between the metallic gold background and the muted earth tones of the ink-washed figures and buildings. This work provides a detailed record of rural life, reflecting the social and economic structures of the time through a lens of careful observation and technical skill.