Scenes of the 1923 Earthquake

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Maker(s)
Artist: Nishimura Goun 西村五雲 (1877-1938)
Historical period(s)
Taisho era, 1925
Medium
Handscroll; color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 32.8 x 560.9 cm (12 15/16 x 220 13/16 in)
Geography
Japan
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1975.12
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Handscroll

Keywords
earthquake, Japan, Taisho era (1912 - 1926)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Like his mentor, Takeuchi Seiho (1864-1942), Goun was a Kyoto painter known for his soft, lyrical renderings of birds, fish, flowers, and animals.  Here he adopts the traditional horizontal format of episodes linked by text to report the devastation of Tokyo during the great Kanto earthquake (September 1, 1923).  In the first sequences, Goun dramtically illustrates the destructive fires that followed the tremors.  Although Goun was a Kyoto artist, the image seems to be based on actual observation.  The resulting painting is an odd union of harsh subject and gentle style.

Collection Area(s)
Japanese Art
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