Landscape

This landscape painting features several steep, soaring mountains. The height of the mountains is emphasized by the composition, which consists of several scenes that seem to be stacked up from foreground to background, top to bottom. In the bottom left we can see two men walking along a path that tracks a mountain stream. If we follow the path to trace their destination, it leads us along a precipitous cliff edge with a path, beyond which lies a beautiful waterfall. A glance further up reveals some handsome houses nestled in the hills. This is where they appear to be headed. So what kind of view awaits them here? It is sure to be a breathtaking one that overlooks the large body of water below. As we try to imagine things from their perspective, the scenery of this small painting seems to roll out expansively before us.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.